Officials Identify Man Killed by Train
PACOIMA — Authorities Tuesday identified a man who was killed by a Metrolink train when he walked onto railroad tracks in Pacoima.
Epifanio Ascencio Lopez, 31, of Pacoima was killed instantly in the accident near San Fernando Road and Van Nuys Boulevard about 6:10 a.m. Monday, the County Coroner’s office said.
Lopez, the third fatality since the commuter rail service began two months ago, walked around a lowered railroad crossing barrier despite warning bells and flashing red lights, police said. Witnesses told investigators that he strode straight into the path of a train traveling 78 m.p.h.
Two witnesses told police they saw Lopez carrying a beer bottle before the accident. An autopsy is scheduled today to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the accident, coroner’s spokesman Scott Carrier said.
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