Amtrak Train Hits Three People, Kills One

Investigators returned to the scene of a fatal Amtrak train accident along the Gaviota Coast on Sunday.

A passenger train hit three people, ages 18 to 29, Saturday night around 6 p.m.

Four people were taking pictures of the sunset on the train trestle at Vista Point, as the train was heading southbound.

When they finally heard it coming, all four tried to outrun it.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department said the engineer sounded a horn and applied the brakes. But, it was too late.

“Trains these days are a lot more quiet than they used to be. The train was coming and there was a slight curve. It came around and the engineer sounded horn and applied the brakes. At that point, it became a foot race and sadly the train won,” said Mike Eliason, of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

One woman was thrown off the side of the trestle. She died at the scene.

One man was critically injured to his head and upper body. A second woman suffered moderate injuries. Another man made it off the trestle and wasn’t hurt.

Union Pacific Police were back out at Vista Point on Sunday taking photos of the scene and conducting their investigation.

Union Pacific Spokesman Greg Wallen says the railroad is private property and all four people were trespassing.

Wallen also said a video camera on board the Amtrak train recorded what happened.

The train was coming from Seattle and heading to Los Angeles.

The train was stopped for two hours until investigators cleared the scene.