CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) — Officials have identified the bicyclist killed this week after being hit by a train in Carlsbad.
Thursday night, 37-year-old Jason Holsinger was riding his bike on the sidewalk when he came to the Grand Avenue train intersection in downtown Carlsbad. Officials say even though the crossing arms were fully down, he rode around them and collided with the side of a passing train.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident.
Holsinger's death has renewed worries of safety surrounding train crossings in Carlsbad.
The tragedy occurs just two days after Operation Clear Track, an event meant to raise awareness about railroad safety hosted by Carlsbad Police, Amtrak Police, and Operation Lifesaver. The event is the largest rail safety law enforcement initiative in the U.S., running from Sept. 22 - 28.
In 2017, the family of Patrick Terrin filed a lawsuit against the City of Carlsbad and BNSF Railway, arguing they "negligently, carelessly and wrongfully failed to properly warn persons crossing the railroad tracks."
Terrin was killed in 2014 after a night of bar-hopping nearby with his sister and friends. He had crossed under the crossing arm bar before it was fully down, as the rest of the group waited. Despite begin several feet off the tracks, he was hit and killed.
The family's lawyer says crossing arms only extend across traffic lanes, leaving sidewalks unmarked with no paint to warn pedestrians where to safely stand.
To make the area safer, Carlsbad has approved construction on a trench along the tracks as a safety measure. The project would cost more than $300 million and, if funded, could begin around 2023.
