Man hospitalized after colliding with BART train in Rockridge

BART’s Pittsburg/Bay Point line suffered a major delay Tuesday night after a train struck a man on the tracks at the transit network’s Rockridge station.

The victim’s identity has not yet been released, but a BART Police officer on the scene said that a male suspect was injured when an approaching BART train ran over him at approximately 10 p.m.; the officer declined to explain how the man had gotten on to the tracks. After a half hour-long operation, the man was rescued and brought immediately to Highland Hospital In East Oakland. As of 11:30 p.m., officials confirmed that the man was still alive, but gave no further details.

Passengers on board the Pittsburg/Bay Point-bound train reported that when it stopped, the train’s operator asked them, in a shaky voice, to leave the train because of a medical emergency.

Michael Green, a passenger traveling with his girlfriend, said that the train stopped, briefly tried to move forward again, and then stopped completely after the short attempt. “The lights were switched off and we were asked to get off the train,” he said.

As of 11:30 p.m., BART continued to suffer delays on the Pittsburg/Bay Point line as trains moving in both directions were forced to take turns passing the Rockridge station on its one remaining track.

Update April 14, 2011: Man hit by BART train alive and conscious.