Western Railroad Discussion > Trespasser killed in Auburn, WA

An elderly woman tried to cross the Main Street crossing in Auburn, WA and was apparently struck by a BNSF double stack.

I was catching a bus at the adjacent transit center right after the accident occurred, and there were conflicting reports from people at the scene, some of who said the train hit her, and some who said the woman fell or passed out before the train got to the intersection. Either way, responders decided it was best to move the train before removing the body from the tracks. Also recovered was what appeared to be a bundle of blankets, suggesting that the woman may have been homeless.

From KOMO4 TV:



AUBURN, Wash. -- A woman was killed Thursday afternoon when she was hit by a train in Auburn.

Police officials said the woman was on the tracks in the 300 block of West Main Street when she was hit just after 12 p.m.

It was not immediately clear how the woman came to be on the tracks or how fast the train was going.

The train has been stopped and police have cordoned off the area around the tracks while they investigate the death.

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Auburn's best secure the scene.

Ed

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Didn't know you are tresspassing when at a crossing.

Bob

RobJ Wrote:
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> Didn't know you are tresspassing when at a
> crossing.

You are if you go onto the tracks when the lights are flashing or after the gates come down.

Was it a suicide or was she disoriented?

I don't know. I've heard different things from people who were there when it happened, one person saying it looked like a suicide, and two others saying it looked like an accident.

I guess we will have to wait for the police investigation to wrap up. Hopefully the security camera footage from the adjacent transit center will shed some light on things.

I hope the crew is doing ok.

nvrr73

I'm trying to figure out that last picture. There seems to be some sort of mirrored glass partition in front of the camera. The guy on the bench is obviously on the other side of the glass. The car is a reflection of a car behind the photographer. So where is the reflection of the photographer? Also, I guess the passenger terminal is just a reflection, although it could be on the other side of the tracks. Now, the 3 guys in the center of the picture appear to be beyond the glass, or are those reflections, too? I would say it is all a reflection, except for the guy on the left, where you can see him between the glass panels.

you can see him between the two officers on the right. has a red shirt and tan shorts, but i cannot make out a head or camera.

dave, out.

That is the passenger shelter at the station, hence the reflection. The police are just milling around the train at that point, waiting for more BNSF personnel and the Coroner. With the yellow police tape around the scene, this was as close as I could get (or wanted to). Of course I was only photographing the scene, not attempting to get near the body. However, even outside the tape, I was chased away by the police.

Ed