A man killed Thursday while he was riding his bicycle on the train tracks has been identified as Goleta resident Edmund Alexander Backus, 51, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Backus was struck and fatally injured at about noon near the Goleta Amtrak station.
The Sheriff’s Office said he was wearing headphones when he was hit from behind by the Pacific Surfliner passenger train, which was headed northbound.
The accident took place in the area of San Pedro Creek and David Love Place, near the western edge of the Twin Lakes Golf Course. The train was slowing for a stop at the Amtrak station in Goleta.
The Coroner’s Bureau has determined that the cause of death was an accident.
The train engineer saw Backus on the tracks and activated the horn, whistle and braking system, but the man did not respond, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
