Oakland Man Struck by Hayward BART Train Last Month Dies

From Bay City News

A man who was struck by a train last month after his wheelchair toppled off a Hayward BART platform died Tuesday from a massive head trauma, the Alameda County coroner's bureau said.

Curtis Fuller, 64, of Oakland, was adjusting his chair at the Hayward station at about 2:50 p.m. on Oct. 30 when "somehow, one of the wheels left the platform," BART spokesman Linton Johnson said.

The wheelchair ended up under the lip of the platform as Fuller fell onto the tracks and was hit by a six-car Richmond-bound train, Johnson said. Fuller became trapped underneath the train.

Emergency officials found Fuller alive but unconscious. He was taken by ambulance to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where he remained unconscious until he was pronounced dead at about 5:15 a.m. Tuesday, the coroner's bureau said.

Fuller died of a massive head trauma, the coroner said, but it remains unclear if the blow from the fall or impact from the train was the cause of death. He also suffered from diabetes.

"When we pulled Mr. Fuller out from under the train alive, we had high hopes the worst was over for him," Johnson said. "This tragic outcome, however, is one none of us at BART believed we'd ever see coming. Our hearts and deepest sympathies go out to his wife and family."

While on the tracks, investigators found a handgun among Fuller's belongings, though it had not been confirmed this afternoon whether the gun belonged to Fuller, Johnson said.

BART police have been investigating where the gun came from, but Johnson could not comment on the status of the investigation.