Transit officials Tuesday urged pedestrians and motorists to always remember to make safety their top priority when approaching train tracks.
Marking the onset of this year's "Rail Safety Month," which runs through the end of September, the administrators of North County Transit District and their railroad-service partners are encouraging the public to prevent accidents by heeding train warning signals and to traverse the tracks only at designated crossings.
"We are asking the public to take time to know the facts about rail safety and make good decisions," NCTD board Chairwoman Jewel Edson said. "Share rail safety information so together we can stop track tragedies."
Last year, California ranked first in the nation in pedestrian rail-trespass accidents, with 242, including 141 fatalities, according to the Oceanside-based transit agency.
Earlier Tuesday morning, a man was taken to the hospital after he was hit by a freight train in Carmel Valley.
San Diego fire and police responders reported to an area near Carmel Valley and Sorrento Valley roads after reports of a pedestrian that was clipped by a train around 5 a.m., ABC 10 reported.
Crews from San Diego Fire & Rescue located the victim atop the train and helped him down after an hour, the station reported. The man was taken to a hospital for his injuries. His condition was not released.
