(Ventura County Star posted the following story by Leslie Parrilla on its website on March 20.)
VENTURA, Calif. — The fingers of Amtrak train engineer Veronica Jackson sit poised over a large red emergency lever as she scans empty railroad tracks in Oxnard on Wednesday for people and cars that might collide with the massive locomotive.
Her engine room is jammed with representatives from Oxnard Police Department and county and state transportation agencies. They are in town to teach officers about railroad violations and the public about railway safety as part of the Officer-On-A-Train program.
During her three years on the job, Jackson has seen several suicides along Los Angeles County railroad tracks.
“We’re always looking ahead. We’re looking as far as we can see,” Jackson said. “We’re definitely going to do what we can, but you know, 99 percent of the time, I can’t stop.”
A dozen police officers positioned themselves along railroad crossings on Oxnard Boulevard to catch pedestrians trespassing and vehicles stopping beyond the limit line.
“Oftentimes the officer is on the wrong side of the track,” said Oxnard Police Traffic Investigator Scott Swenson sitting in the engine room. “It makes it difficult to cite the violator.”
There were 39 citations issued Wednesday, each carrying a hefty $321 fine, according to Sharon Gavin of Metrolink. Eighteen citations were issued to pedestrians, the rest to motorists.
At least two cars raced under railroad arms to beat the train as red lights flashed.
Last year, five people were killed in train-related accidents in Ventura County, according to Mitch Breese at the Ventura County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.
This year, an Oxnard man was the first person to die in a train-related accident when he walked along the tracks behind The Esplanade Shopping Center on Oxnard Boulevard in February.
Every two hours a person or vehicle is struck by a train in the United States. Nearly half of those accidents happen at railroad crossings with warning devices such as gates, lights or bells, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
“A lot are trespassing citations,” Gavin said. “It’s never legal to walk on railroad tracks. It’s never legal to stop on railroad tracks at any time.”
In Oxnard, trains travel up to 70 mph, Gavin said. At that speed a train would need at least one-third of a mile to stop.
“A train hitting a car is like a car running over an aluminum can,” said Eric Jacobsen, state coordinator for California Operation Lifesaver, which sponsors the Officer-On-A-Train program.
California Operation Lifesaver also involves going into the classroom to teach children about rail safety.
The risk group for train violators is people ages 16 to 34 years old.
“They’re greater risk takers,” Jacobsen said. “We’re all in a hurry in California.”
For the past seven years, California has ranked number one in the nation for the highest number of violations.
“We’re up against the fact that we have more trains operating in California than we’ve had in the history of the state,” Jacobsen said, “and we have more people driving.”