Four die after collision with Amtrak train

CASTLE ROCK, Wash. – A southbound Amtrak train collided Monday with a Honda Accord and four people died, a BNSF Railway spokesman said.

One person was found dead inside the car, and an initial investigation indicated three people were ejected in the 4:40 p.m. crash, Gus Melonas said.

An adult woman driver, a 17-year-old woman and two men, who were 18 and 19, died in the crash, Melonas said.

The rail crossing was marked by stop signs, he said, adding the engineer tried to brake and sounded the train’s whistle.

The circumstances of the accident were under investigation by Cowlitz County sheriff’s officers and BNSF Railway, which owns the tracks. The accident temporarily shut down BNSF’s double main line, which carries 60 trains daily between Seattle and Portland, Melonas said.