Pedestrian killed by passenger train

SEATTLE — A man was killed Thursday night in Seattle’s Sodo neighborhood; he was hit by an Amtrak train. The Amtrak Cascades train was travelling from Portland to Vancouver around 6:30 p.m. when it struck the man who was on the tracks at Lander Street between 2nd and 4th Avenue.

Passengers on the train say they knew immediately something was wrong. “I was in the dining car and I heard them slam the brakes on and then a few minutes later they called for anyone who had any medical background to come help.” said passenger Alicia Adamson. Michaela Abel said some passengers saw a hat fly into the air. “I think everyone’s panicking, “said Abel.

Passengers waited on board for about 30 minutes, then Amtrak had Metro buses come take passengers to King Street Station. The train had many commuters on board, so some took taxis or called friends to pick them up. Passengers seemed rattled by what happened, “Someone died. Who knows why, whether it was intentional or not?” said passenger Joan Gage as she waited for a taxi.

The crash is under investigation by Seattle Police. They don’t know why the man was on the tracks.

Burlington Northern Sante Fe also had investigators on site. They tested the crossing gates, lights and alarm.

The tracks reopened just after 9pm. South Lander Street reopened just before 11pm.The train headed on to Vancouver, about 3 hours behind schedule. It will be up to the medical examiner to identify the man who died.

KIRO