SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A 59-year-old woman picking up trash on the railroad tracks in Mission Hills was struck and fatally injured by an Amtrak train this morning, authorities said.
It happened at 6 a.m. on the tracks near Noell and Hancock streets between Interstate 5 and Pacific Highway, San Diego County sheriff's Deputy Brian Abraham said. The Amtrak Surfliner was northbound at about 45 mph when the engineer spotted the victim picking up trash on the tracks.
The engineer activated the train's emergency braking system, whistle and horn, but she remained on the tracks, Abraham said. Medics took the gravely injured woman to UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest with life-threatening injuries, Abraham said. Doctors at the hospital later pronounced her dead.
Coaster and Amtrak train service was affected for more than three hours, the North County Transit District said. But around 9:15 a.m., normal service was restored and all trains were expected to be on schedule.