OXNARD, Calif. — A train engineer who was hospitalized after a Southern California commuter train derailed when it slammed into a truck on the tracks has died in the hospital, police said Tuesday, NBC News reported.

The death of train engineer marks the first fatality in the Feb. 24 crash in which a Metrolink train struck an unoccupied truck stopped on the Ventura County Line tracks and derailed, injuring 28, the report said.

The engineer, who was an employee of Amtrak, had worked in the rail industry for more than 40 years. He was the longest tenured engineer among Metrolink operators.

“The entire Metrolink family is deeply saddened by the loss of this dedicated and hardworking railroader,” said Sam Joumblat, Metrolink's interim CEO in a statement. “Everyone associated with Metrolink extends our most heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and co-workers. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.”

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(video) NTSB Member Robert Sumwalt briefs the media on the grade crossing accident in Oxnard, CA 2/24/15.