A man was fatally struck by a Metro train after falling off of a station platform in the West Adams district of South Los Angeles early Wednesday morning.
The incident occurred about 1 a.m. at the E Line’s Farmdale station located at the intersection of Farmdale Avenue and West Exposition Boulevard.
The victim was apparently standing on the platform when he fell backwards onto the tracks, Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Miguel Arana said. He tried to climb back onto the platform but was struck by an eastbound train before he could make it.
The train operator apparently didn’t realize that someone had been hit and kept going.
A second train operator noticed the body on the tracks and alerted authorities when arriving at the station about 10 minutes later, Arana said.
The unidentified victim was described as a black man about 40 years old.
No one else appeared to be at the train station when the man was struck, Arana said.
Officials do have surveillance video to help with their investigation.
The train operator who struck the victim is being interviewed but is not facing any charges. “Right now, it’s seen as a tragic accident,” Arana said.
The E Line was formerly known as the Expo Line and runs between downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
Service on the E Line was not disrupted despite the investigation.
