COPS ON METROLINK PATROL DRIVERS WHO TRY TO `BEAT' TRAIN TO BE CITED.Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Sheriff's deputies will ride the Metrolink next week in Santa Clarita to keep an eye out for motorists who cross the tracks after the commuter train has sounded its warning. The ``sting'' was planned for Thursday, well before last week's fatal Metrolink collision in Burbank that injured several Santa Clarita riders. But the recent deadly derailment derailment /de·rail·ment/ (de-ral´ment) disordered thought or speech characteristic of schizophrenia and marked by constant jumping from one topic to another before the first is fully realized. spotlights the dangers of trying to beat the train, said Sgt. Clint Bower of the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. sheriff's station. Metrolink will run extra trains back and forth through the city with a deputy riding in front to spot anyone - driving or on foot - who tries to go around the crossing gates at intersections, Bower said. The exercise is part of the statewide ``Officer-On-A-Train'' program designed to cut accidents between trains and motorists or pedestrians. Deputies following the train on motorcycles will cite any violators spotted from the train. ``Sometimes the safety messages make a strong impact when it's accompanied by a ticket from a law enforcement officer,'' said Eric Jacobsen Eric N. Jacobsen (born February 22, 1960, New York, NY) is the Sheldon Emery Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. , president of the nonprofit California Operation Lifesaver Operation Lifesaver is a 501(c)(3) educational organization in the United States dedicated to promoting safety at railroad grade crossings and railroad rights-of-way. , a sponsor of the program. Metrolink and Union Pacific freight trains follow tracks that line Soledad Canyon Road, Bouquet Canyon Road and San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the through the city and continue north to the Antelope Valley and south to Los Angeles. ``Metrolink showed us some areas of concern,'' Bower said. On Jan. 6, a commuter train that had left from the Via Princessa station in Canyon Country hit a truck making an illegal crossing in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . About a dozen Santa Clarita riders were injured, including attorney Jennifer Kilpatrick, who suffered severe spinal injuries and remains hospitalized. Two of the four cars on the southbound train toppled over when the train collided with a three-ton utility truck driven by a man who, investigators said, drove around the safety gates. The truck driver was killed on impact. ``Those 10 seconds that drivers or pedestrians think they can save by driving or walking around lowered rail crossing arms could be the last 10 seconds of their life if they're hit by a train,'' Jacobsen said. |
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