Caught On Video: Caltrain Rider's Near-Fatal Close Call
REDWOOD CITY (KPIX 5) -- Video showing a man nearly being killed as he ignores numerous warning signs and runs across the tracks at a Caltrain station as a train passes at full speed is prompting train managers to beg the public for better awareness.
According to Caltrain officials, the incident took place at the Redwood City station sometime in February during a morning commute.
In the video, barriers were down and sirens blaring as a first group of commuters ran across the tracks in front of an express train that does not stop at that station. Moments later, a man lagging behind the group runs across, a split second before the train passes.
The man has not been identified.
Below is a sequence of freeze frames that illustrate the extreme danger at this crossing, as commuters run to catch the stopped train, but don't notice the express train passing through at full speed.
Trains on the system can reach a top speed of 79 miles per hour, covering the length of a football field in less than three seconds. The photos show the train just feet away as the unnamed commuter runs across its path.
Caltrain said incidents such as this throw the whole system into a slowdown, as the near-misses have to be investigated, throwing everyone's commute into chaos.
Caltrain urges riders to never go around gates, to pay attention near tracks, to watch out for a second train, and to expect a train at any time on a track. The agency has a list of safety tips at http://www.caltrain.com/riderinfo/safety_security/Safety_Tips.html.
