High school mourns second student death on tracks in a month
By: Andrea Koskey
Examiner Staff Writer
June 3, 2009
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| 17-year-old Sonya Raymakers, a Palo Alto high-school senior, was struck and killed by a train Tuesday evening, marking the second death involving a student on Caltrain tracks in the past month. (Examiner file photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — A 17-year-old Palo Alto high school senior was struck and killed by a train Tuesday evening, marking the second death involving a student on Caltrain tracks in the past month.
The incident occurred around 9:55 p.m. at the East Meadow Drive crossing, the same location where 17-year-old Jean Paul Blanchard, also a student at Gunn High School, died after walking in front of a train May 5. Messages from school officials at the time indicated his death was a suicide.
Tuesday’s victim was identified as Sonya Raymakers, who was about to graduate.
“It’s a bad day,” Palo Alto Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Scott Laurence said. “There’s obviously a lot of sorrow. The school has been impacted quite a bit.”
Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn said the incident appears to be “intentional,” but law enforcement officials have yet to rule Raymakers’ death a suicide.
The two deaths are not believed to be linked, Laurence said.
A woman who answered the phone at the Stone Lane address where Raymakers reportedly lived said the family would not comment.
One of the ministers at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, where Raymakers was a member, said the teenager was very active in theater at Gunn.
Raymakers was also involved in supporting such causes as same-sex marriage and buying only fair-trade chocolate.
“She was a very vivacious young woman,” said second minister Eva Ceskaba. “This is just so upsetting.”
The tracks at East Meadow Drive are at ground level and cross a busy intersection; red and white crossing-gate arms are used to stop traffic. A chain-link fence provides a barrier for pedestrians walking toward the tracks.
Crossing gates, bells and lights were functioning properly at the time of the incident, Dunn said.
This afternoon, fresh carnations were placed near the fence at East Meadow Drive that mixed with bouquets of now-dead flowers and signs that memorialized Blanchard’s death a month ago.
School district officials and grief counselors were at Gunn today to talk with students, Laurence said. The district also plans to offer students a workshop on teen depression.
This is the fourth death involving Caltrain this year. Last year, the transit agency reported 16 deaths, Dunn said.
Signs near the train tracks offer the number of a suicide hot line. Dunn said they were put in place years ago to address the issue.
“There’s no way of measuring their success,” she said.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
Tragedy on the tracks
Deaths involving Caltrain this year:
11:30 a.m. May 4
Heather Russell, 29, Palo Alto
Near San Antonio Caltrain station, Mountain View
8:20 a.m. May 5
Jean-Paul Blanchard, 17, Palo Alto
Near East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto
6:40 a.m. May 14
Alfred Ajuria, 82, Belmont
Near 25th Avenue, San Mateo
9:55 p.m. June 3
Sonya Raymakers, 17, Palo Alto
Near East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto
Sources: San Mateo Count coroner, Santa Clara County medical examiner
