A female pedestrian was hit by an Amtrak train Friday afternoon and killed near Santa Barbara, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses saw a person jump off a train viaduct on Hollister Avenue near Modoc Road into the train path, according to emergency radio traffic, but this could not be immediately confirmed.
The victim was pronounced dead on the spot, said Raquel Zick, the sheriff’s spokeswoman.
The incident involved an Amtrak Coast Starlight train heading north.
Santa Barbara County firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and an AMR ambulance responded to the scene at 1:13 p.m.
According to Daniel Bertucelli, the chief of the Santa Barbara County Fire Chief, rail traffic in the area was brought to a halt.
The victim’s name has not been released pending notification from family members.
Police continued to investigate the incident, Bertucelli said.
Contact Noozhawk for updates to this story.
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