To the homeless community in Paso Robles, the man killed last Tuesday by a southbound Amtrak train is known as “Jimmy.”
Unhoused people erected a shrine to remember him near the spot where he was killed. It includes mementos and personal items which people chose to contribute to the shrine. Gathering there over the weekend, several talked about the man they knew.
One woman in her 40’s said, “He was always polite to me. He always said, ‘How are you today, Ma’am?’” There was no mention of his last name, but they knew him.
The fatal accident occurred at 2:12 pm, Tuesday, April 12th in the 2800 block of Riverside. There’s an open fence at the end of 28th Street through which people walk to the tracks from Spring Street. There they can cross over to Riverside.
Last Tuesday, “Jimmy” either did not see the train, or could not get across the tracks quickly enough.
A cross nearby marks the spot where the collision occurred. It’s also a reminder to those who cross the tracks at that remote location to look for trains before walking across the rails.
