North Hollywood man killed by freight train

A 59-year-old North Hollywood man was struck and killed by a freight train not far from Bob Hope Airport, police said Sunday.

The westbound Union Pacific train hit the man about 11:25 p.m. Saturday on a stretch of track in North Hollywood north of Vanowen Street and just west of Vineland Avenue, said Sgt. Jimmy Chong of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Bureau.

Trains in that part of the San Fernando Valley have a speed limit of 40 mph, Chong said. Investigators believe the man, who lived near the accident scene, was lying on the track immediately before the accident.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

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-- David Zahniser