Pedestrian hit, killed by train in Kent while walking on BNSF tracks

A 39-year-old man was hit and killed by a freight train while walking across the BNSF Railway tracks at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 in Kent.

Officers were dispatched to the area underneath the State Route 167 BNSF overpass regarding a train striking a pedestrian on the railroad tracks, according to a Feb. 27 Kent Police statement. The 911 caller said the man had been walking on the tracks when he was struck. The man was not at a grade crossing intersection.

Officers arrived and joined Puget Sound Fire personnel to search for the pedestrian. First responders found the man deceased just north of the South 228th Street overpass.

BNSF staff told police they saw the man walking on the tracks and immediately attempted to stop the train. The distance between the man and the train was short and they were unable to stop before striking the pedestrian. The train reportedly was moving at 47 mph, with all safety features working properly, according to police.

“We would like to remind everyone that walking on train tracks is extremely dangerous,” according to the police statement. “It is very difficult to judge how fast a train is moving and how fast it will reach your location. Trains are unable to stop quickly. Please stay off the tracks.”

BNSF also is conducting an investigation into the incident.

The man is the 19th pedestrian killed in Kent by trains from 2019 to 2023, according to the state Utilities and Transportation Commission. Kent had 18 fatalities from 2019 through 2022, more than any other city in the state during the four-year period. Four died in 2022 in Kent, seven in 2021, three in 2020 and four in 2019. Kent had just one death in 2018.

Three others have been killed so far in 2023, according to the state Utilities and Transportation Commission, one each in Spokane, Sumner and Puyallup. All three were classified as trespassing fatalities as opposed to grade crossing fatalities.