This is not a good beginning to a year following 2010, a year of higher than normal railroad accidents. Nearly 20 pedestrians were killed and multiple cars destroyed as the area still gets used to having light rail running through the Puget Sound.
Then there’s the subpar safety on the tracks and crossings of most of rural Washington. Monitoring and addressing these safety issues is the job of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), the railroad giant that holds the contract on all of Washington railways. But sometimes there isn’t a fence or barrier around that will stop a person that wants to deliberately jump in front of the train as apparently was the case with the first train death of the year.
The crash occurred around 12:15 a.m. on a straightaway that parallels the 1300 block of State Ave., police Lt. Jeff Goldman said. Witnesses, including the train’s engineer, told crash investigators that the man had been sitting on the tracks, got up as the train neared and stayed in the center of the tracks. The area involved is not a railroad crossing.
“It appears to be a deliberate act,” Goldman said.
According to BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas, that train was traveling about 40 mph, the speed limit for freight trains through areas that have a population of 100,000 people or more.
A half-hour later at 12:40 am, a man was walking on tracks near the Sumner Meadows Golf Course when he was struck by a train moving about 35 mph, Melonas said.
“In both they were trespassing at non-crossings,” he said. “It’s certainly unfortunate.”
In 2010 there were 19 train-pedestrian fatalities in the state, the majority happening on the line between Tacoma and Bellingham, the largest populated area in Washington. Many of them happened near Puyallup and almost half of them were under 25.
“We can’t caution the public enough. These trains can’t stop immediately,” he said.
Police and railroad officials are investigating both incidents. No other details were available.
The speed limit for trains in Washington State can be as high as 90 mph and with new technology are as quiet at ever, which means that many pedestrians using the tracks to navigate may not even have time to react when a train comes upon them suddenly. Please heed warnings and do not walk on the tracks.
If you or a loved one are injured or killed in a train accident you will need competent and proven legal council to mediate between you and the railroad companies’ legal team. Call the Seattle wrongful death lawyers at Phillips Webster for a consultation into your legal options.
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