Smokey Pt. collision with train kills driver

Herald staff

MARYSVILLE — A 48-year-old man died Tuesday when a train struck a pickup truck at a private crossing in the 13100 block of Smokey Point Boulevard.

The accident occurred about 11:15 a.m. as the pickup headed toward a business at an industrial park.

The Amtrak train originated in Bellingham and was southbound for Seattle, said Gus Melonas, a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway spokesman. No one on the train was injured.

The crew blew the whistle repeatedly as the train approached the crossing, which has no crossing bars or signal lights, Melonas said.

The train was unable to stop until about a half-mile down the track, and the conductor walked back to the scene to talk to investigators, Marysville police Cmdr. Robb Lamoureux said.

The train’s speed limit in that area is 79 mph, but it probably was traveling considerably slower because it was heading into the city, where the speed limit is greatly reduced, he said.

The impact destroyed the pickup and ejected the man, who was dead when police arrived, he said. The pickup’s cab and bed were torn from the frame.

This was the third death in Washington this year involving trains and vehicles, Melonas said.

The accident remains under investigation.