SPOKANE, Wash., – after he was hit by a train just after 10 a.m. today near the south hill.
Spokane Police Department said the collision happened at 10:12 a.m. on Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway, which is private property.
Corinne Brown lives above the railway and regularly sees people walking near and on the tracks.
“I’ve lived here for about five and a half years and there are these trails that go along this area that go for miles and miles. People I think are legally allowed to walk the trails, but the railroad recently put up no trespassing signs, and I see people down there pretty regularly,” Brown said.
These signs, placed in visible areas where trails lead down to the tracks, warn pedestrians that walking past the sign is both illegal and dangerous.
21 pedestrians were killed in Washington state last year due to collisions with trains, according to Operation Lifesaver, an initiative set to improve safety at railroad crossings and railways.
The man was lying down on the tracks when he heard the train approaching, police said. He got up and walked in front of the train.
Trains on this section of the track move at roughly 25 miles per hour, police said.
“You can see the signs on the trail that say ‘don’t pass here.’ And yeah I walk these trails a lot and I see those signs and I don’t personally trespass, but I have seen people just kind of wandering along them,” Brown said.
