A man who was apparently crossing the train tracks in Oceanside Friday night was struck and killed by freight train, authorities confirmed.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's office has not yet determined the man's identity, an investigator said Saturday morning. The investigation is expected to be complete this afternoon, according to a medical examiner in the county coroner's office.
The pedestrian was hit at 10 p.m. by a northbound BNSF freight train at a crossing on Mission Avenue near Cleveland Street. The white male adult was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release from San Diego sheriff's Lt. Kevin Menzies.
A witness, Donald Haddix, was staying at the Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort about 500 feet across the street from the accident.
"We heard a train come through right over here ... we heard a long train whistle - extraordinarily long. Then we heard the braking of the train, and usually the train just goes right through. It doesn't stop," Haddix said, adding he saw one individual standing close to the track and another man lying on the railroad tracks. "The best thing we can tell is apparently this individual was trying to cross the train track and apparently he was stuck by the train. We don't know why."
In video footage obtained from the scene, a second individual is near the accident, wrapped in a yellow blanket and sobbing while being comforted by an emergency official. It is unclear whether the second individual knew the victim or simply witnessed the horrific crash.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images