Train kills cell-phone chatter

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — A pedestrian apparently absorbed in a cell-phone call was struck and killed by an Amtrak train on Wednesday after he walked around a lowered crossing gate and onto the tracks, authorities said.

The victim was struck at 12:30 p.m. by a northbound Capitol Corridor train at the Alvarado Street crossing, about 8 miles south of the Oakland station, Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said. None of the 20 passengers or crew aboard the train was injured. That train and two others were delayed and another Capitol Corridor train was canceled, she said.

Crew members aboard the Sacramento-bound train told authorities they saw the man talking on the cell phone before he was struck, Graham said. The warning lights and gates at the crossing were functioning properly, she said.