A woman who was struck and killed by a Metrolink commuter train in east Riverside was sitting on the tracks before she was hit, authorities said Tuesday.
The fatality occurred at about 7 p.m. Sunday near the train crossing at Chicago and Marlborough avenues.
“The train conductor saw the victim sitting on the tracks as the train approached,” said Officer Ryan Railsback, spokesman for the Riverside Police Department. “They sounded the horns but could not stop in time and struck her. She appeared to be homeless.”
The woman’s identity has not been confirmed.
Riverside Fire Department personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.
Train traffic was delayed several hours because of the ensuing investigation, which was initially handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department because the death involved a Metrolink train, for which sheriff’s personnel provide security.
However, the matter was turned over to Riverside police because the death occurred in a public right-of-way within the city, authorities said.