Freight Train Encounter Severely Injures Pedestrian

An unnamed male pedestrian suffered a serious head injury Monday after a near-fatal collision with a Union Pacific freight train on the tracks at Montecito’s Butterfly Lane near Olive Mill Road.

At approximately 8:35 a.m. Monday morning, the engineer operating the southbound train reportedly “sounded the horn and applied the emergency braking system,” according to a Sheriff’s Office press release. “The engineer observed the pedestrian attempt to move out of the way to avoid being struck.”

The man suffered a serious head injury, although the Sheriff’s Office said, “It’s unknown if the injury was a result of being hit by the train or falling to the ground.” He was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in serious condition. He has not yet been positively identified.