A University of Missouri-St. Louis woman, age 27, was struck and killed by a MetroLink train late yesterday afternoon between 5p.m and 6 p.m. at the UMSL North MetroLink train station. The victim, who had to be extricated from underneath the train has been identified as University City woman and student at UMSL.
According to reports, she was conscious after being struck but critically injured and later pronounced dead at the hospital. She was airlifted from the UMSL North station. Authorities were unclear why she was on the tracks, but it reported that she slipped and was struck by a slowing eastbound train.
County police are investigating the train accident and still determining if the driver saw her. However, there is no gate or signal currently at that crosswalk. If you’ve ridden the MetroLink lately, you know the UMSL train station is a busy one like most others at 5 p.m. A current USML student said, “I am at that track all the time and there is NO light bar or anything at that crossing where you walk across the tracks to get to the station. I see people all the time with their headphones in looking down crossing back and forth. I knew this seemed wrong”.
At this time, there is no report on what caused the victim to slip and fall. Numerous newspaper reports confirm the crossing is not gated and does not have signals. The first question most of us ask is, “Why is the crossing not gated and why is there not a train signal?” We question if all safety precautions were met especially at a location where so many students are apt to cross in order to catch the train.
Train Accidents
Train collisions with pedestrians are generally very serious in nature regardless of speed for the simple fact that trains weigh many tons and a pedestrian is completely vulnerable to the impact. Train accidents are by definition gruesome and tragic. It is our hope that safety experts and investigators will evaluate this tragic event and make safety recommendations in order to attempt to prevent this type of train accident in the future. However, future prevention does little to console the family of yesterday’s victim. May is generally a euphoric time on university campuses as students are preparing to graduate or embark on summer activities. University campuses are a places of optimism, excitement, and promises of potential. When a tragic accident involving a death occurs among one of the students it is even more tragic due to the contrast between loss and promise.
Personally, I will be interested to see what evolves from the investigation and what actions authorities will take to increase the safety of everyone who may come into contact with trains and crosswalks. If the crosswalk should have been gated and if there was not proper warning which created a dangerous condition, then it could potentially be a negligent situation. Negligence is not usually intentional, however, it can result in a serious injury or the death of someone. Often times, a negligent situation goes uncorrected until someone is tragically injured or killed.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a train accident, then you are probably in state of shock for quite some time. Train accidents are horrific not only for the victim but for the family and friends of the victim knowing the way their loved one was killed or injured. Certainly, following yesterday’s death, the entire campus is in shock as well as the family/friends of the victim. It is critical that investigators do a very thorough investigation of the scene and document through analysis and witness interviews. Following such a tragedy, family members cannot think about weeks and months into the future as they are just trying to grasp getting through the coming days. One of the many things you must consider following a train accident is the consultation of an expert train accident attorney. Our attorneys know all too well, the many things that must be considered following a possible wrongful death. Call (800)685-3302 or locally (314) 276-1681 for a free consultation.
Hahn, S. (2014) Woman Struck, Killed by MetroLink Train at UMSL North Station. St. Louis Post-Dispatch 5/5/2014