Suicide Suspected In SMART Train Fatality In North Bay

NORTH BAY, CA – The death of a 64-year-old Santa Rosa woman who was struck by a Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit train this morning is being investigated as a suicide, Santa Rosa police said.

Police responded at 7:37 a.m. to the collision reported on Hearn Avenue and the railroad tracks.

The woman, who was severely injured and unresponsive, was found on the dirt shoulder of the west side of the tracks about 100 feet south of Hearn Avenue, Sgt. Summer Black said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The train stopped south of the collision site, and none of the passengers on board were injured.

The woman was standing on the tracks at the railroad crossing on the north side of Hearn Avenue. The train engineer sounded the train horn before the collision but did not have time to stop before striking the
victim, Black said.

Witnesses said all train crossing controls appeared to be functioning correctly at the time, according to Black.
SMART personnel inspected the train, which did not return to its normal route, along with the tracks and the crossing arms before Hearn Avenue was reopened to traffic, Black said.

Foul play is not suspected and an autopsy is pending, Black said.

It was the first fatality involving a SMART train. Full service began in August.

Anyone who saw the collision is asked to contact Santa Rosa police Officer Jeff Woods at (707) 543-3636.

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PREVIOUS: WEDNESDAY, JAN. 31, 9:24 a,m.

A woman was fatally struck by a SMART Train Wednesday morning in the North Bay, according to a Sonoma County fire and emergency dispatcher.

The collision occurred shortly before 7:40 a.m. near railroad tracks in the Hearn Avenue area of Santa Rosa, according to the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District.

The Santa Rosa Fire Department is investigating the crash. Officials asked the public to avoid the area, as Hearn Avenue will be closed in both directions for the next few hours.

Trains will be delayed for about 40 minutes due to the incident, SMART officials said. A bus bridge is being provided for passengers to assist them in getting to their destination station.

This may be the first fatality involving a SMART train. In October, a bicyclist was struck and injured by a SMART train at the West Steele Lane crossroad in Santa Rosa.

SMART trains started rolling between Santa Rosa and San Rafael in August. The trains have carried more than 300,000 passengers since then, according to the district.

Also see:

• SMART Receives $10.5M In Rail Assistance Funding
• SMART Train Adds Third Rail Car For Busy Commutes
• Theft Victim Receives Bike From Fellow SMART Train Commuter

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Image via Santa Rosa Fire Department