A junior at KIPP King Collegiate High School was fatally struck by a Union Pacific train in the San Lorenzo area of unincorporated Alameda County on Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The Alameda County Coroner’s office confirmed later Wednesday that the victim was 16-year-old Terrence Liu of San Lorenzo. He had been riding his bicycle to school and crossing over a bridge on the tracks, police said.
The accident was reported at 8:06 a.m. in the vicinity of Grant and Railroad avenues, according to Aisha Knowles, a spokeswoman for the Alameda County Fire Department.
The school is located nearby at 2005 Via Barrett.
The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Alameda County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly.
Terrence was remembered by friends and classmates as smart and outspoken. Friend Apollo Chua said he was told Terrence was wearing his headphones.
"I think he was going on a section of track pedestrians are not suppose to pass through," Chua said. "He was going through there and didn’t hear the train coming."
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Grief counselors will be at the high school campus for the rest of the week to help students and faculty cope with the tragic death.
As news of the accident spread, people went to the accident scene to pay their respects. Many were not surprised it happened.
"If somebody has headphones on like a lot of people I see, they don’t even have a chance if a train comes," said Mike Ruef of San Lorenzo.
The train's engineer and conductor have been "put in touch" with peer counselors, according to Union Pacific spokesman Justin Jacobs.
"The safety message here is that pedestrians, and everyone, need to be very aware of the hazards associated with trains and should never be on the train tracks or attempt to cross anywhere other than at a designated crossing when signs and signals permit," Jacobs said in a statement.
Terrence was active in fundraising and a member of the debate team. He was an only child.
