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Yahoo!Two homeless men were struck and killed by Amtrak trains in Santa Barbara last week, though it is unclear whether the deaths were suicides.
Though the 55-year-old man killed last Thursday just north of the Santa Barbara Amtrak station had received citations for trespassing on the railroads several times in the past, police spokesperson Lt. Paul McCaffrey said alcohol appeared to have played a role in the incident. “We found alcohol and we’ve cited him before for being on railroad property,” McCaffrey said. “He was someone who used alcohol frequently, and when we found him there was open beer on the ground and you could smell an odor.”
The following day, residents of a neighborhood near the tracks reported a 56-year-old man for “trying” their doorknobs and “making bizarre statements,” said McCaffrey. But by the time police arrived, the man had been hit by a train.
In both instances, McCaffrey said, the train conductor sounded his horn upon seeing the victims, but neither moved out of the train’s path in time. “Someone could be intentionally near the train but it’s hard to say if they intentionally want to die,” McCaffrey said.
McCaffrey added that many homeless people in Santa Barbara County “hang around the railroad track,” despite obvious dangers. In efforts to minimize injuries and uphold the integrity of railroad property, McCaffrey said police used to give out citations, and now “encourage people to not use those routes [on foot].”
McCaffrey said no foul play appears to be involved in either incident. The victims' names have yet to be released.
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Like the cold springs bridge, we should build a large ugly fence to prevent suicide attempts.
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yukon_river (anonymous profile)
September 10, 2009 at 9:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What I find interesting (from limited research on this matter) is that S.B. has THE highest incidence of this type of incident. Is it accessibility to the tracks or too many homeless in this area? When I lived in Miami, FL the re were many homeless, but the incidence of this type of event was non-existent, as it remains today. Even in L.A. when I lived there this type of incident wasn't the norm & still isn't. What gives? :) henry
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hank (anonymous profile)
September 10, 2009 at 12:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There's a citizen photo of the scene of the first incident here:
http://is.gd/37MLa
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sleeptest (anonymous profile)
September 10, 2009 at 3:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm not clicking that link, and I suggest nobody else click that link either. It's probably a virus.
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Kratatoa (anonymous profile)
September 10, 2009 at 4 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hank, there's also been a rash of pedestrians hit by trains in the Bay Area. I'm not sure how the rates stack up versus SB, though.
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Kratatoa (anonymous profile)
September 10, 2009 at 4:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Kratatoa, I've been hearing reports on that too, but the difference there is (I believe) that the incidents happen in the BART stations.
However, I could be wrong, but have you seen the crowds waiting for a BART train? It's insane!
Last time I was up there I nearly got clipped by 1 on the platform from people pushing & shoving.
usually what we have down in this area (mainly Ventura/Oxnard) is car versus train & we all know who wins that fight.
In any case, a loss of life is sad, but to get to the bottom of it would be a good thing :) henry
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hank (anonymous profile)
September 10, 2009 at 9:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hank, I think CalTrain has been having some recent problems too -- something like 10 deaths in the last year (but spread out across multiple cities).
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Kratatoa (anonymous profile)
September 10, 2009 at 10:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Even in L.A. when I lived there this type of incident wasn't the norm & still isn't. What gives?"
Too many people crammed into a small geographical area combined with the "haves and have nots" situation where those who are not rich, thin, and beautiful have the superficiality of it all shoved down their throats.
I also think that S.B. is so hypnotizing with its scenery and climate that people simply can't imagine life anywhere else.
If you look around, there is a LOT of desperation and fear. The frantic way people drive their vehicles shows how high the stress levels are.
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billclausen (anonymous profile)
September 12, 2009 at 4:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeah. Big ugly fence. That's the ticket!
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JohnLocke (anonymous profile)
September 12, 2009 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Kratatoa, the link is legit, and from a local sb citizen journalism site called City2.org (santa barbara). I shortened it with a url shortener, but if you want the full link, here it is:
http://sb.city2.org/blogs/news/blog_entr...
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sleeptest (anonymous profile)
September 22, 2009 at 11:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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