Investigators: Two Struck by Train Were Sleeping on Tracks
Survivor says all three had fallen asleep on the tracks
Friday, Sep 10, 2010 | Updated 12:33 PM PST
Anastasia Bolton, Daniel Akins
Two people struck and killed by Metrolink train early Thursday in Mission Viejo might have been sleeping on the tracks, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
A 27-year-old Santa Ana woman, who was injured, called 911, authorities said. She was transported with moderate injuries to Mission Hospital.
The victims, the woman, a 22-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl, were struck at about 6:15 a.m. at Alicia Parkway and Via Fabricante. The train was northbound.
The deceased were identified as Daniel Akins, 22, of Missions Viejo, and Anastasia Bolton, 17, of Del Mar, the LA Times reported. All three had apparently met on Facebook and got together Wednesday night in Santa Ana before heading to Laguna Beach and then the train tracks in Mission Viejo, according to investigators.
The teenage girl who survived the accident said all three of them had fallen asleep on the tracks, and she woke up just before the train hit them, according to Orange County sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino.
Investigators are looking into what the three teens were doing in the area. Members of the sheriff's Major Accident Reconstruction Team have been called to investigate the scene.
That section of railroad tracks is near a park that is frequented by teenagers and young adults drinking and taking drugs, a neighbor told the Los Angeles Times. Preliminary tests show the teenage girl who survived the accident did not have alcohol or drugs in her system.
Bus services were being used between Laguna Niguel and Irvine to transport train passengers.
