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One Killed And Two Hurt By Amtrak Train On Santa Barbara Coast While Taking Pictures

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One person was killed and two others are injured when they were struck by an Amtrak train on the Santa Barbara County coastline around 6 p.m. Saturday evening.

A group of four people, all in their 20s, were standing on a railroad trestle near Vista Point (between Refugio State Beach and Gaviota State Park) taking pictures of the sunset when an Amtrak train came around the corner at about 70 miles per hour. The four tried to outrun the train, but three were struck by the train, according to KSBY.

The woman killed was thrown several feet from the trestle and pronounced dead at the scene. Another woman suffered "moderate injuries" while a man suffered "major injuries" and both were taken to the hospital. The fourth person in the group was not injured. According to KEYT, three of the four people were identified as UC Santa Barbara students.

The trestle at Vista Point is a popular spot to take pictures of the coast and sunset, though it is illegal to stand on the tracks.

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The Amtrak train was traveling from Seattle to Los Angeles, and after a 2-hour stop in service the track was reopened and the train resumed its trip down to L.A.

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