From the Seattle Times (hat tip Seattle Transit Blog)
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office says a 49-year-old man who died after he was struck by a Link light-rail train in Seattle’s Industrial District on Thursday committed suicide.
This is the second suicide-by-rail since the opening of Link, and according to the comments at Seattle Transit Blog, near misses with light rail aren’t uncommon.
A man walked in front of a moving Link light rail vehicle and was struck and killed earlier today.
Preliminary investigation indicates that a 49-year-old male pedestrian was crossing the light rail tracks westbound against multiple warning signals, which included flashing lights, traffic closure arms, and the sound of the horn of the approaching northbound light rail vehicle (LRV).
The LRV operator saw the pedestrian and applied the emergency brakes but was unable to stop in time and the pedestrian was subsequently struck. SFD medics responded to the scene and transported the pedestrian to Harborview Medical Center where he later died.
It’s important to watch out for cars while walking, but any moving vehicle can be dangerous. In this case, a pedestrian was hit by a Link light rail train. Fortunately, the train was going slowly enough that injuries aren’t life threatening.
A teenager was taken to the hospital after being struck by a Sound Transit Light Rail train Friday afternoon.
It happened around 3:45 p.m. at S. Othello Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way S.
A Sound Transit worker tells KING 5 the girl was on her cell phone when she walked in front of the train.
A Seattle Fire Department spokesperson says the girl was conscious and alert. It appears her injuries are non-life threatening. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
