Tow Truck Driver Killed by Train Identified

Updated at 8:25 p.m. Sunday

Authorities today publicly identified the tow truck driver who was struck and killed by an Amtrak train at a railroad crossing in Cardiff-by-the-Sea.

Shaun William Riddle, 27, was attempting to hook a vehicle stalled at Chesterfield Drive and South Coast Highway 101 to the flatbed tow truck about 2:35 p.m. Saturday, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.

Riddle was apparently assisting the owner of a broken-down SUV just west of the tracks, sheriff's officials said.

Related: Tow Truck Driver Dead After Train Hits Vehicle in Cardiff

A southbound Surfliner train approached the intersection and Riddle got back into the truck to move it out of the train's path, but could not do so, the Medical Examiner's Office reported.

The train was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck the tow truck, which reportedly was between closed crossing arms, authorities said. The rig was demolished.

Riddle died at the scene, the Medical Examiner's Office said.

The southbound train stopped at the Solana Beach station, where several of the 125 passengers aboard were treated for minor injuries. Passengers were transferred to another train or buses, and the tracks were reopened shortly before 5 p.m.

—City News Service