LATHROP – A man was killed Monday morning when the truck he was driving was hit by an Altamont Commuter Express train at the Roth Road crossing around 4:30 a.m.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Jeffrey Donald Walters, 49, of Stockton.

Walters, who was pronounced dead at the scene, drove onto the tracks before the train hit it, according to ACE spokesman Thomas Reeves. The train was traveling from the Stockton ACE station to the Lathrop station.

Reeves said the recorder on the locomotive and sensors at the crossing arms showed the arms were down and the train driver attempted to slow before impact.

“We showed it going 72 mph and 40 mph when it hit,” Reeves said, noting the speed limit along the route is 79 mph. “It shows the emergency brake was applied before impact. People don’t understand how long it takes a huge train like that to stop.”

The train remained on the track for three hours to allow authorities to dislodge the pickup from under the front of the locomotive and give San Joaquin County Sheriff’s deputies and railroad authorities time to conduct investigations.

No other injuries were reported, and the 41 passengers riding in the five-car train were transported back to Stockton by bus.

The next commuter train was delayed five minutes, Reeves said, and the remaining morning trains ran on schedule. He said the train involved in the collision was expected to be back in service in time for the evening commute.

It was the second time in six weeks an ACE train hit a vehicle at the Roth Road crossing. Manteca business owner Michael Staggs was driving east on Roth Road at about 6:45 a.m. June 17 when he was hit by another pickup. Staggs’ truck was flipped onto its side and onto the tracks, where it stopped.

He was pulled from his truck by two Sharpe Depot police officers just seconds before a train slammed into it. Staggs underwent surgery for an arm injury.