A Signal Hill resident has been identified as the victim of a recent train accident. The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) was notified that 89-year-old Robert Lee Mills of Signal Hill has died after being involved in a collision with a Los Angeles Metro Blue Line train on Friday, Sept. 12. Mills had suffered major injuries from the collision and was pronounced deceased early in the morning on Friday, Sept. 19.
On Friday, Sept. 12, at approximately 9:28pm, Long Beach Police responded to the area of Long Beach Boulevard and Burnett Street for reports of an injury traffic collision involving a Metro train and a vehicle. When officers arrived, they discovered that a 2005 Cadillac CTS had been broadsided on the driver’s side by the train. Mills, who was the sole person in the vehicle, was found in the driver’s seat.
Long Beach Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene and extracted Mills from his vehicle. Mills was transported to a local hospital and was admitted for his injuries.
Based on witness statements and evidence at the scene, the preliminary investigation indicates Mills was stopped in the left turn lane of southbound Long Beach Boulevard for a red left turn arrow. Southbound vehicular and train traffic had the green light to go south on Long Beach Boulevard across Burnett Street. Despite the train driver signaling with a horn while crossing Burnett Street, Mills drove into the intersection to make a left turn. The train broadsided Mills’s vehicle and pushed it approximately 50 feet through the intersection.
There were no injuries reported by the train operator or any train passengers. The train operator was questioned and released. It does not appear any charges will be filed.
Those with additional information regarding the incident are asked to call Long Beach Police Collision Investigation Detective Steve Fox at (562) 570-7355. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), texting TIPLA plus the tip to CRIMES (274637), or visiting lacrimestoppers.org .
Source: LBPD
