EMMA PIRHALA / NEWS EDITOR

On Oct. 14, an unidentified woman had her leg amputated after being struck by a freight train on East Harbor Drive in the Gaslamp Quarter. The incident occurred as fans left  the Rady Shell venue, following a concert by the artist Still Woozy, which ended at 10 p.m. Several concertgoers were climbing between the train cars that obstructed the path to parking lots. However, when the train abruptly started moving, the woman fell onto the tracks and her legs were run over. The San Diego Department of Police reported that the individual suffered serious injuries from the incident and lost one of her legs.

USD senior and Managing Editor of The USD Vista Lily Anderson witnessed the event after leaving the same concert. She described that most people were climbing through the trains to get across the tracks to the parking lot. Anderson decided to wait until the train passed to cross but as she waited, tragedy struck.

“We heard this really loud banging noise of the slack being pulled out of the [cargo containers], and the train started moving and we could see everybody who was getting ready to walk through it jump back,” Anderson shared. “Some people went running and yelling. I saw a girl who immediately grabbed her phone, I’m assuming to call 911. And it just was super chaotic and we could also hear this girl, like, screaming her lungs out. Instantly, my thought was either someone was dead and she’s screaming cause she’s looking at a dead person, or she is getting run over by the train … Then we could see that there was somebody on the ground, and we weren’t quite close enough to see details, but we could tell there was someone laying on the ground near the tracks.”

The recent incident is not an isolated occurrence, however. According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), 17 incidents of injured or killed individuals, excluding workers, as of July 31 were reported in San Diego County in 2024 alone. Of the 17, 14 individuals were fatally injured, including a 17-year-old male in Sorrento Valley who was killed after being struck by an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train. The FRA reports do not include injuries or deaths related to the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTA), which oversees the trolley system. In May, an individual was fatally struck in El Cajon after he collided with a MTA trolley.  

As a whole, California reports the greatest amount of train-related incidents of any state, with 740 reported injuries or fatalities (including workers) in 2023. The number of trespass deaths, or deaths by pedestrians,  totaled to 190, an amount more than two times greater than the second-ranking state of Texas. California’s trespass death toll accounts for  26% of fatalities in the country despite the state ranking fifth in the amount of rail miles, possessing 4,971 rail miles out of 136,650 miles in the country. 

In light of recent events and the popularity of rail and trolley transportation at USD, students are concerned about the amount of accidents. 

USD second-year Rachel Maristela shared that the frequency of train-related accidents diminishes her willingness to hop on one.

“I don’t ride trains a ton, I thought about riding a train to get around, cause I’m not from California,” Maristela shared. “So hearing that [the trains aren’t safe] is not super reassuring of my train riding decisions.”

Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit promoting rail safety awareness, provides safety tips regarding trains via their website. The organization suggests  that pedestrians stay alert and aware of their surroundings when near trains. Modern trains are faster and quieter than the old-fashioned locomotives that many people imagine. Because of this, Operation Lifesaver encourages pedestrians to never walk on train tracks. Not only is it highly dangerous to do so, but since all train tracks are deemed private property, walking on them is considered illegal trespassing. 

Driving near railroads can also be dangerous, the organization noted. When crossing rails, Operation Lifesaver recommended driving directly across at a designated crossing, be sure not to stop. If a vehicle stalls on a railroad, drivers should exit the car immediately and locate an Emergency Notification System sign to report the incident. Despite the recommended safety measures, accidents and fatalities continue to rise in California. USD’s proximity to both MTS and Amtrak rails, prompts greater conversations.regarding train safety. 

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner is a popular train for USD students traveling up the coast. Photo courtesy of @pacificsurfliner/Instagram