Woman Struck and Killed by Metrolink Train in Sylmar
Posted on April 19, 2018 Written By: iadminlaw
Family and friends gathered to mourn the death of a 24-year old woman who was struck and killed after she accidentally fell onto the tracks at a rail station in Sylmar Monday evening, April 16th. The victims, 24-year old Felicia Smith, along with her boyfriend, were at the Sylmar/San Fernando station located in the 12200 block of Frank Modugno Drive. Just after 6:00 p.m. Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned to respond to reports of someone being struck by a passing train at the Sylmar/ San Fernando station. According to Los Angeles Police department’s preliminary investigation, Smith and her boyfriend had been waiting at the platform for their train to arrive when for reasons unknown Smith suddenly fell off the platform and onto the tracks. A brief but unsuccessful rescue attempt was made by Smith’s boyfriend and 2 bystanders to get Smith’s body back onto the platform as an oncoming Metrolink train approached. The victim was eventually struck by a Palmdale-bound number 285 Metrolink train that had just left Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. “Her boyfriend and two other citizens tried to pull her up before the train got here,” LAPD Mission Division Captain Peter Casey said. “Unfortunately, the train is coming in, traveling at 35 mph, unable to stop” Casey continued. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene and her boyfriend suffered minor injuries. He was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital and was treated for his injuries.
Felicia’s mother said that Felicia would have turned 25-years old on May 10th along with her twin sister. Jennifer Miller Smith, Felicia’s mother who was with the couple at the train station, told reporters that earlier that day Felicia had gone to donate blood and was feeling faintly afterwards, and when Felicia had seen the train approaching on the platform with her boyfriend she got over-excited. That’s when she fell off the platform and onto the tracks. “He was yelling and screaming for the train to stop and for people to come and to help him,” Smith said. “And he jumped in after her. And then at that very moment, it was so fast, where he had to let go or he would’ve been with her,” Smith said.
Incoming trains to the Sylmar/ San Fernando station were held up at other stations until investigators collected evidence and coroners could remove Smith’s body. The train station reopened shortly before 11 p.m.
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Mentrolink image: By The Port of Authority at English Wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons