Personal Injury Law

Passing train hits Stanwood man

By Kirk Bernard, Esq.

On Monday, a man who was crossing railroad tracks near downtown Stanwood was hit by a fast-moving train.

Just before 9:30a.m., an Amtrak train struck the man. He suffered life-threatening injuries in the Seattle Pedestrian Accident and was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle by helicopter. No update of his condition was available.

According to witnesses, the man ducked under the railroad crossing arms as the train approached near the 8600 block of 271st Street NW. Stanwood Police Chief David Bales said that the man tried to run across the tracks and out of the way,

"We actually see this frequently when people are hit by trains," Bales said. "They're looking at them head-on and don't realize how fast the train is going. They often underestimate the speed of the trains."

Amtrak trains generally are travelling more than 50 mph when they come through town, Bales said. It was unknown how fast the train was moving Monday. Pedestrians and motorists should never walk or drive around lowered railroad crossing arms, Bales said

Full post as published by Seattle Injury Blog on January 08, 2008 (boomark / email).