A 30-year-old Kent woman was hit and injured by an Amtrak train while walking near the railroad tracks in Kent at about 7:43 p.m. Sunday Aug. 4 in the area of First Avenue North and West Cole Street.
“According to the initial information, she was walking closely along the railroad tracks in the same direction of the train,” Kent Police Assistant Chief Jarod Kasner said in an Aug. 5 email. “The female did not react with the sounding of the train horn and was struck by the train as it passed by.”
The train came to a stop and 911 was notified, Kasner said. He said the woman was conscious when Puget Sound Fire responded. Paramedics transported the woman to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The woman is in satisfactory and stable condition, according to an Aug. 5 email from a hospital spokesperson.
According to an Aug. 5 email from an Amtrak spokesperson, a train was traveling southbound from Seattle to Portland when an individual who was trespassing on the track came into contact with the train. There were no reports to injuries to the 263 passengers or crew onboard. The train was delayed for about one hour and 15 minutes before continuing to Portland.
The Amtrak spokesperson included in the email a report from the Federal Railroad Administration that trespassing along railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America, and railroad crossing incidents are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in America.
“These incidents can affect everyone involved—those who are injured or die and their families, our train crews, and our passengers,” according to the spokesperson. “They also serve as critical reminders about the importance of obeying the law and of exercising extreme caution around railroad tracks and crossings. Amtrak continues to work closely with Operation Lifesaver to #STOPTrackTragedies by emphasizing the obvious dangers of being on railroad property or disregarding warnings at rail crossings.”
For railroad safety information, go to https://www.amtrakcascades.com/staybackfromthetracks.
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