Man, 71, killed by SMART train in Novato

A 71-year-old man who was struck by a northbound SMART train in Novato on Thursday died from the impact, the Novato Police Department said.

The man, whose identity is being withheld by the Marin County Coroner’s Office pending notification of next of kin, was struck by the train at about 7:50 p.m. on Grant Avenue near Railroad Avenue, north of the newly opened downtown station, the office said in a news release. Twelve passengers were aboard the train at the time, SMART spokeswoman Julia Gonzalez said.

The incident is the second Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit fatality in Marin County since service started in August 2017. It is the eighth fatality involving a SMART train this year and the 12th death overall.

Novato police said fire paramedics determined the unidentified man was dead when they arrived. Police said the train was traveling north just before reaching the Grant Avenue crossing when the collision occurred.

A preliminary investigation conducted by Novato and Marin County authorities determined that the man was trespassing on railway property before the collision, according to the coroner’s office. The man was walking alone on the tracks south of the crossing, in the path of the oncoming train, at the time of the crash.

Police said all of the train warning signals and equipment were functioning properly when the man was struck.

“The train conductor reported that he applied emergency braking and sounded the train’s horn prior to the collision,” Novato police said in a statement.

The station in the area where the collision occurred is only in use on weekends, so the train was passing through, said Novato police Lt. Michael Howard. The train usually travels through that location at about 45 mph, but the actual speed of the train before the conductor hit the brakes is still being determined, Howard said.

There is no evidence that there was anything suspicious involved in the crash, according to the coroner’s office. Investigators are still trying to determine what the man was doing on the tracks at that time, Howard said.

“That’s exactly what we’re investigating,” Howard said. “We’re working diligently with the coroner’s office to try to answer those questions.”

SMART staff responded to assist passengers on the train, police said.

The eastbound and westbound lanes of Grant Avenue, between Railroad and Reichert avenues, were closed for about 2½ hours after the fatal collision.

Gonzalez said the SMART agency was saddened to hear of this week’s death, along with all the others.

“The loss of any life is concerning,” she said. “Our condolences go out to the families.”

Staff Writers Chantelle Lee and Kevin Fixler contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.