MOTHER, SON HAVE CLOSE CALL WITH TRAIN.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

Three steps separated a mother and her child from the Metrolink train that crushed their Ford Explorer on Wednesday.

``I knew that it was either die or escape. It was probably a mother's instinct,'' said a still shaken Lola Laura Ehrhart.

``After getting my son out of the car seat, I took literally three steps and then out of the corner of my eye as I was running, my car was in the air,'' the 35-year-old North Hollywood woman recalled.

Ehrhart was driving her 14-month-old son, Joe Pollock, home when she stopped over the tracks crossing Bellaire Avenue about 4:50 p.m. Ehrhart said she stopped to obey a stop sign at Bellaire and Raymer Street on the other side of the tracks.

Then the red lights flashed and bells rang, and the crossing arm dropped behind her vehicle.

Frightened by the westbound commuter train bearing down, instead of driving off the tracks, Ehrhart jumped out, ran to a rear door and pulled out Joe, whisking him to safety.

``It was difficult to get him out of the straps. I didn't even have him on my hip yet, and I was running,'' she recalled.

``Your first thought is to get the child out of the car. How I acted so quickly, I don't understand,'' she said. ``It's amazing we escaped without a scratch.''

A day laborer who was unloading sesame seeds at a warehouse along the tracks was struck by debris. The unidentified man suffered critical injuries and was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, said Los Angeles police Officer Steve Schiltz.

The Metrolink train bound for Ventura County was held on the tracks until 5:33 p.m., Schiltz said.

Ehrhart, a wardrobe designer for television commercials, said she doesn't normally use Bellaire to take her son home.

Thankful to be alive, Ehrhart said son Joe was ``a rock'' throughout the harrowing incident.

``Joe's just fine, but I'm not so fine; I'm in shock. I think this is just a miracle.''