Updated: Metrolink Train Severs Man's Arm in Valley Glen

By City News Service

An approximately 30-year-old man walking on a railroad bridge in the Valley Glen area had his left arm severed Friday when he was struck by a Metrolink train, authorities said.

The man was struck around 4:25 p.m. near the intersection of Raymer Street and Whitsett Avenue just west of the Hollywood (170) Freeway, said Diana Igawa of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

She did not know the condition of the victim, who was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Sgt. Donald Kelly of the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division said the man, whose name was not available, was walking west on the north side of a bridge that spans the Hollywood Freeway when he was struck by a westbound train.

"He was walking. It didn't appear he fell or jumped in front of the train," Kelly said. "As the train went by, some part of it caught his arm."

In addition to having his arm severed, the man also suffered a possible fracture of his left leg, Kelly said.

The severed limb was recovered, but it was unclear if it could be reattached, he said.

The man was struck by Metrolink train number 115, which was en route from Los Angeles to Moorpark, said Metrolink spokesman Jeff Lustgarten.

The train was eventually allowed to continue to the Van Nuys station, where the approximately 150 passengers on board were transferred to other trains, he said.

Some trains traveling along that line were delayed up to one hour and 15 minutes, Lustgarten said.