Man in his 80s hit, killed by train near Simi Valley

Gretchen Wenner | Ventura

Show Caption Hide Caption Man struck killed by train near Simi Valley A man in his 80s was killed Monday afternoon near Santa Susana Knolls.

A man believed to be in his 80s was struck and killed by a train late Monday afternoon in an unincorporated area near Simi Valley, authorities said.

The incident in the Santa Susana Knolls occurred around 4:34 p.m. on tracks across Katherine Road near Knolls Park. The site borders city limits and is located west of Kuehner Drive on the south side of Highway 118. Knolls Park sits along railroad tracks west of the Santa Susana Depot.

The death was under investigation by Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputies who had been trying to determine whether the incident was accidental or intentional, said Capt. Mike Beckett.

“All indications are it was simply an accident,” Beckett said Monday night. The man reportedly enjoyed a daily walk in the area, he said. Investigators had found no suicide note or anything to immediately indicate a scenario other than an accident, he said.

Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Stan Ziegler said no passengers were injured during the incident.

The train, Metrolink Ventura County Line 115, left from Union Station bound for Moorpark when it struck the person on the tracks, according to a tweet from the commuter railroad. The incident was also backing up trains behind it.

As of about 6:15 p.m., the 85 passengers were still on board where they would stay until they could be safely removed, a Metrolink official said.

Once off the train, passengers could either wait for a bus from the train service, take another train or use the ride-sharing service Lyft or Uber for reimbursement from Metrolink, an agency official said.