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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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Identities released in Friday Amtrak train accident

By , Columbian politics reporter
Published:

Gildardo Cruz Vera Strickler, 29, and Sonya Sussanna Wallace, 32, were killed Friday when a northbound Amtrak passenger train struck their vehicle. The collision occurred on a private road in the Horseshoe Bend area north of Kelso, as reported by The Daily News on Friday.

There are no crossing arms at the intersection where the crash occurred, but warning devices are set up on both sides of the tracks.

Vera Strickler, the driver, stopped momentarily as the train approached but decided to try and cross the tracks ahead of the train. The car was struck before completely crossing the tracks.

Vera Strickler was a Kelso resident and died as a result of blunt force head injuries. Wallace was a Longview resident and died as a result of multiple blunt force bodily injuries. The investigation is still open.

A standard toxicology analysis is being conducted, with results expected in the next six to eight weeks.

Vera Strickler and Wallace are the fifth and sixth deaths statewide on BNSF tracks this year as the result of a train/vehicle collision.

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Columbian politics reporter