Livingston man walking his dog struck and killed by train in Merced County

A 79-year-old man and his dog were struck by a train and killed on Monday morning in Merced County, the Merced County Sheriff's Office reported.

At about 6:30 a.m., David Coronado of Livingston was walking his dog along the Southern Pacific Railroad Tracks between Franklin and Buhach road in the Beachwood area, Deputy Daryl Allen said.

It was "very foggy," Allen said, and both the man and the train engineer train didn't see each other until the last minute.

Coronado's nephew, Andy Arroyo, told the Sun-Star in a phone interview his uncle was missing earlier on Monday. He had dementia and somehow wandered out of the Livingston house he lived in, Arroyo said.

One of Coronado's daughters, Norma Castro Coronado, 41, said her dad wasn't home when she woke up at around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, so he "must of taken off around 3:30 (a.m.) or 4." Various family members were looking for him, she said, and this wasn't the first time he has left the house.

"My dad wonders off a lot since hes gotten sick," Castro Coronado told the Sun-Star in a phone interview. "I thought he could have gone to the store but he didn’t come back."

Coronado also left that morning with the house dog, Buster, she said, which was unusual.

Coronado leaves behind four sons, two daughters, and "many" grandchildren, Castro Coronado said. Her dad was a farm worker who moved to California from Houston, Texas, she said, and he worked at a tomoato factory in Livingston for 30 years.

He was married to his wife who passed five years ago, Sophia Coronado, for 42 years, according to Castro Coronado.

"My dad used to joke a lot" Castro Coronado said. "That was one of his things. He was a joker with all grand kids."

Coronado also "loved" walking, driving and going to the mountains, she added.

"That's how we remember him," Castro Coronado said. "He loved people. Everywhere he walked he'd talk to everyone. Everyone in Livingston knew him. "

Monica Velez: 209-385-2486, @monicavelez21

This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Livingston man walking his dog struck and killed by train in Merced County."