Female killed in Merced train versus pedestrian incident, police say

One person is dead after they were struck by a train in Merced on Sunday, according to police.

Officers responded to the incident at about 10:07 a.m. to the area of Highway 59 and West 16th Street, according to a Merced Police Department news release.

According to Detective Kalvin Haygood, the conductor told police that they had observed the woman on the tracks and tried to get her attention by sounding the train’s horn. Police said it was reported that the woman appeared to be looking through a pair of binoculars prior to the collision. The conductor attempted to stop the train, but the train was not able to stop in time to avoid a collision.

Police said officers located the deceased woman by the train trestle near Bear Creek. The conductor of the Union Pacific train called police to report the incident.

Haygood said at this time it is unknown why the woman, who is believed to be a transient, was on the tracks. Haygood said police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact authorities.

Police believe the woman to be a 50-year-old transient but have not released her name due to a pending autopsy and notification of family.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Detective Haygood at 209-385-6998 or by email at haygoodk@cityofmerced.org.

This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 10:03 AM.