Man hit and killed by Amtrak train

STEILACOOM, Wash. — A man was killed after being struck by a train in Steilacoom, Washington.

The News Tribune reports the man was walking along the tracks south of Chambers Creek at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday when he jumped off one track to avoid a northbound freight train.

BNSF Railways spokesman Gus Melonas says the man went to the other track and was hit by an Amtrak train traveling south to Portland.

Steilacoom Public Safety Chief TJ Rodriguez says the man was in his late 20s and from South Carolina. He died at the scene.

Rodriguez says the man was a transient but it does not appear to be a suicide.

Melonas say this was the 17th death on railroad tracks in Washington state this year.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com

Associated Press