In review of 4-year period, report finds 18 of 20 deaths occurred on South Coast tracks with prevalence of homeless encampments raising risk factor
Twenty people were struck and killed by trains in Santa Barbara County between 2015 and 2018, with 18 of the deaths occuring along two stretches of South Coast railroad track, according to a new grand jury report.
The sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau determined 11 of the deaths were suicides and nine were accidental, according to the report, which also found that 12 of the 20 victims were homeless people.
The report states that a “vast majority of fatalities” occurred in two specific areas of the 109-mile corridor through the county: between Ortega Hill in Summerland and Milpas Street in Santa Barbara, and between Patterson Avenue and Glen Annie Road in Goleta.
Union Pacific owns all the track, which Amtrak leases for passenger trains that pass through 12 times a day. Union Pacific runs an average of two freight trains through the county daily.
Ninety percent of the fatalities occurred between the hours of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., and almost all of them involved Amtrak trains, according to the report, which was released Thursday.
The number of deaths in Santa Barbara County was higher than neighboring counties overall and on a per-capita basis.
“Over the four-year period, the county had one railroad-related death per 22,000 inhabitants, Ventura County had one per 46,000 inhabitants, San Luis Obispo County had one per 57,000 inhabitants, and Kern County had one per 69,000 inhabitants,” the report states.
The high number of homeless encampments along South Coast train tracks presents a problem, the grand jury concluded.
“A reduction in pedestrian trespassing deaths, including suicides and transient/homeless deaths, can best be secured by restricting access to and providing additional security,” the report says.
The grand jury investigation found that homeless encampments are common in areas where right-of-way fencing has deteriorated and bushes and trees have grown to provide natural shelter.
“Areas where brush has been cleared and trees properly managed have very few encampments,” the report notes.
The grand jury report makes several recommendations to reduce fatalities, and responses are required from the cities of Goleta and Santa Barbara, the county, the Sheriff’s Department and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.
The agencies are encouraged to work with Union Pacific on implementing the recommendations, which include mending existing fences and erecting new ones; removing overgrown foliage in the right-of-way area; improving security patrols by negotiating memoranda of understanding with local law enforcement; increasing surveillance by installing video cameras to monitor pedestrian trespassing and transient/homeless encampments; and stakeholder collaboration with regular meetings.
Click here to read the full Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report on Railway Fatalities.
June 15, 2019
Noozhawk Santa Barbara
By Joshua Molina
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