Motorcyclist ejected onto BART tracks from crash, struck and killed by train in Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. - BART confirms a motorcyclist, who was involved in a crash, hit a barrier in Oakland and ended up on the tracks before they were struck by a train and killed on Friday.
The incident caused major system-wide delays on BART Friday afternoon into the evening commute hours. Officials say the person was on the tracks at 19th Street in Oakland.
In an update, officials explained how the motorcyclist ended up on the tracks.
"Near Northgate, where the Oakland underground tunnel ascends to aerial track, a motorcyclist involved in an accident hit the BART right-of-way barrier and was ejected onto our tracks," BART wrote on Twitter.
Oakland police said they received several calls of an accident involving a motorcycle at 24th Street and Northgate Avenue shortly before 4 p.m.
BART officials said the person was on the tracks as the train approached. The incident was first reported on social media at around 4:20 p.m.
BART officials said police and fire departments responded as well as BART "frontline" staff. As a result, service was truncated between MacArthur, West Oakland and Lake Merritt stations. Train service had stopped in Downtown Oakland in the Antioch, Berryessa, Richmond and San Francisco directions.
Motorcyclist struck and killed by BART train after being ejected onto tracks from separate collision
A motorcyclist was ejected onto the BART tracks in Oakland after they hit a barrier. Then they were struck by a train and killed on Friday. The incident lead to a chaotic evening commute as BART experienced systemwide delays.
By 6:20 p.m., single tracking was established in downtown Oakland in all directions after limited service was restored. In a late evening update, BART said they were in the process of restoring full service. The coroner had finished their work before 10 p.m.
Train operators on BART cars had the latest updates that were announced to riders, but BART acknowledged those announcements were hard to hear, given the circumstances of crowded platforms and trains. They apologized on Twitter in a lengthy thread.
"This trauma is felt by many. Our hearts go out to the family of this person, our train operator, the people on board the train, the staff responding to the incident, the staff that have to deliver service while a major section of track is blocked and countless others," BART said on their Twitter account.
During the chaos, AC Transit provided mutual aid between MacArthur and 12th Street - Oakland City Center. Riders were able to use buses 6 and 18.
Oakland Police Department confirmed they are leading the investigation of a "vehicle accident."
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