Police: 17-year-old struck, killed by train in Vancouver

A teenage boy was hit and killed by a train early Monday morning in Vancouver.

Vancouver police responded to the area of Southeast 164th Avenue and Rivershore Drive for a 911 call reporting the fatal collision at 2:42 a.m.

The victim’s next of kin was notified of his death, but the boy’s name was not released by the Vancouver Police Department on Monday. Authorities identified the victim as a 17-year-old Vancouver resident and a student in the Evergreen Public Schools district, according to district spokeswoman Gail Spolar.

The boy’s autopsy is scheduled for today.

The Vancouver Police Department’s major crimes unit and traffic unit are investigating the incident with assistance from the BNSF Railway police.

BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas said that the westbound train was carrying oil from North Dakota to Bellingham at 40 mph when the crew noticed a pedestrian in the crossing.

The crew went into an emergency brake application, but the train struck the pedestrian, Melonas said.

He said that the flashers and gates for the train crossing, where the speed limit is 50 mph for a freight train, were activated at the time of the incident.

The tracks were closed until about 6 a.m., delaying eight trains, Melonas said.

This fatality is the second on BNSF railways this year; the first involved a female pedestrian who died early in the morning on New Year’s Day in Spokane. In 2013 and 2014 combined, Melonas said, more than 30 people were struck and killed by trains on BNSF tracks.

“We cannot emphasize enough to the public to expect train movement on any track at any time in any direction,” Melonas said.