Editor’s Note: The woman has been identified as 33-year-old Casilina Gallagher. Next of kin has been notified. This story was updated November 20, 2018.
A woman was fatally struck by a train in Montecito at approximately 7:10 a.m. on Friday. The woman, whose identity has not been released, was walking northbound on the railroad tracks near Olive Mill Road when she was hit by a southbound Amtrak passenger train.
As the train came around a curve, the engineer saw the woman on the tracks and activated the train’s horn and braking system, authorities said. The train was unable to stop in time. The Sheriff’s Office’s Coroner’s Bureau is in the process of positively identifying the woman, and the incident remains under investigation. “It is unclear what occurred,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kelly Hoover.