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There was a death on the Metro Gold Line Saturday afternoon in South Pasadena. The fatality was confirmed to KPCC by Metro, the South Pasadena Police Department and authorities on scene.
According to Metro spokesperson Jose Ubaldo, a northbound Gold Line train hit a pedestrian around 4:10 p.m. who had trespassed onto the tracks. The train was between the South Pasadena and Highland Park stations.
South Pasadena resident Ginger Duncan tells KPCC that she saw a man hit by the train. She said he was moving slowly, crossing the crosswalk when the lights weren't flashing. The man was moving so slowly that when the lights started to flash and the arms went down, he stopped and waited.
It looked like he was intentionally stopping, Duncan said. The train honked as it approached, Duncan said, before hitting the man and dragging him. The train's brakes were applied and someone got out immediately, Duncan said.
"The train came to a sudden stop and people were wondering what happened," said KPCC reporter Kevin Ferguson, who was on the train at the time.
Duncan said that the man appeared to be in his early 40s.
It appeared to be the first accidental death in the Gold Line's history. Since opening in 2003, the Gold Line had previously recorded just three deaths. Two of those were suicides, the third a bizarre murder.
Metro spokesperson Ubaldo said that Metro was sending buses to take passengers between the stations.
The accident was causing 15 to 20 minute delays, according to Ubaldo.