Northridge Metrolink Victim Identified as Missouri Man

The man who was struck and killed by a Metrolink train in Northridge was publicly identified Sunday by the coroner's office as a 46-year-old Missouri resident.

Earnest Joel Burns, of Mountain View, MO, was struck around 5 p.m. Friday at the Wilbur Avenue railroad crossing near the Northridge Metrolink Station, the coroner said.

Burns' body was badly mangled, which delayed identification, according to the coroner's office.

Burns was hit by a westbound train near Reseda Boulevard and was pronounced dead at the scene, Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

No one aboard the train was injured, Humphrey said.

Train service was stopped during the initial investigation, he said.

The cause of the accident remained under investigation, said Officer Robert Carter of the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division.