Passenger Train Swideswipes Pedestrian in Del Mar

DEL MAR, CA -- A pedestrian apparently distracted by his cellphone suffered serious injuries Dec. 8 when a passenger train sideswiped him on a stretch of ocean-front railway near Seagrove Park, authorities say.

The 20-year-old man was trespassing on railroad right-of-way with two companions shortly after 1:30 p.m. when the southbound Amtrak train hit him at about 40 mph near the foot of 13th Street in Del Mar, according to San Diego County Sheriff's officials.

Medics took the Carmel Valley resident to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla for treatment of a brain contusion, a skull fracture and a broken shoulder blade, Deputy Marcus Levine said.

No other injuries were reported.

The victim appeared to have been using his cellphone camera immediately adjacent to the tracks just prior to being struck, officials said. The Amtrak engineer sounded the train's horn, but the young man failed to move out of the way, according to Levine.

The accident caused rail delays in the area into the mid-afternoon.

By City News Service/Image via Shutterstock