GERVAIS, Ore. (AP) — Authorities in Marion County are trying to identify a woman who was struck by a train.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says the incident occurred about 2 a.m. Saturday on Union Pacific railroad tracks one mile north of Gervais, which is near Salem.
Deputies say the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The train’s conductor and engineer told authorities they were traveling at 46 mph when they saw something lying on the tracks ahead of them. They said people in the area commonly leave garbage bags on the tracks, but they realized when the train got closer that the object was a person.
The train took almost a mile to stop, and the operators were unable to avoid hitting the woman.
