1 hurt when train hits car in Marysville

Published 1:58 pm Monday, December 15, 2008

MARYSVILLE – An Amtrak train smashed into a car at a railroad crossing in Marysville Monday morning creating a spectacular accident that left one man seriously hurt.

None of the train crew or the 110 passengers on the train was injured, officials said.

About 9:45 a.m., a man in a Honda sedan turned right onto 88th Avenue under the crossing arms, Marysville police Lt. Jeff Goldman said.

“He went right up underneath (the crossing arms) before he realized” the arms were down and the signal lights flashing, Goldman said. “He attempted to back out, but he obviously didn’t make it.”

The locomotive hit the car and sent it spinning about 100 feet back onto State Avenue where it smashed into a Suburban that was waiting in the intersection.

Rescuers had to cut the top of the Honda off to pull the man free, Marysville Fire District spokeswoman Kristen Thorstenson said.

The man, whose age and hometown were not released, was taken to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett with a leg injury.

Engineers threw the emergency brake on the southbound train, Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman Gus Melonas said.

The train, which runs from Bellingham to Portland, was delayed about 90 minutes, he said.

All indications are that the crossing arms and signals were working properly.

Officials will investigate and the driver could be cited for failing to yield, police said.

Every day in Snohomish County, an average of 50 trains rumble through at speeds approaching 80 mph. There are about 77 places where public roads cross the tracks at grade, meaning there is no overpass or bridge.

Marysville has 12 rail crossings, the most of any city in the county.

Goldman said the accident could have been worse. The train wasn’t sent off the tracks and the man likely will live to tell the story.

“He was lucky,” Goldman said.

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.