ESCONDIDO — An 86-year-old San Marcos man was killed after his truck was struck by a Sprinter train earlier this week.
Shortly after 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Walter Robbins was driving a Toyota pickup truck westbound on West Mission Road in Escondido.
After turning right onto Enterprise Street, Robbins drove through a lowered automatic gate before stopping on the tracks where he was struck by an eastbound Sprinter train, law enforcement said.
Robbins was pronounced dead on the scene due to blunt force injuries. The San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death an accident.
The accident delayed Sprinter train service in the area for nearly seven hours, according to service alerts from the North County Transit District. Passengers were encouraged to take Breeze bus shuttles between the Escondido Transit Center and Nordahl Road Sprinter Station during the delay.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Rail Enforcement Unit is investigating the crash.
The Coast News was informed that the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office will no longer send out news releases on train incidents where it is believed an incident could be suicide related.
“In this incident, there will not be a release,” an email from the sheriff’s office states. “We do not want people who may be in crisis to see a release and believe this may be a viable option to harm themselves.”
