A 47-year-old man was struck and killed when he got in the way of a Metrolink commuter train on the west end of Riverside, authorities said Wednesday.
Michael Rivera of Riverside was fatally injured just before 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad crossing on Van Buren Boulevard, less than a block south of Indiana Avenue, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s Office.
Riverside Fire Department paramedics reached the location within minutes, pronouncing Rivera dead at the scene.
It was unclear whether the victim was trying to beat the passenger train as it approached the rail crossing, or he stepped into the path of the train intentionally.
Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback said the investigation was turned over to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which handles security for Metrolink.