IDENTIFIED: Woman dies after being struck by Amtrak train

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The woman struck by an Amtrak train in northwest Fresno Saturday morning has been identified by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office.

Just before 10:30 a.m., Fresno police were called to the area of Fruit and Ashlan Avenues for a report of a collision between an Amtrak train and a pedestrian.

They say they arrived to find 66-year-old Josephine Rico who had been struck. She suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad police took over the investigation.

Amtrak says their San Joaquins train 702 was traveling from Sacramento to Bakersfield when the collision occurred.

No injuries were reported to the crew or the 120 passengers on board at the time.

Beth K. Toll, a Senior Public Relations Manager with Amtrak, released this statement following Saturday’s incident:

Preventing incidents and fatalities on the railroad is a priority for Amtrak. According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), trespassing along railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America, and railroad-highway grade crossing incidents are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in America. These incidents can affect everyone involved—those who are injured or die and their families, our train crews, and our passengers. They also serve as critical reminders about the importance of obeying the law and of exercising extreme caution around railroad tracks and grade crossings. Amtrak continues to work closely with Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) to #STOPTrackTragedies by emphasizing the obvious dangers of being on railroad property or disregarding warnings at rail crossings.