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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Two train accidents reported in Spokane Co.

Trains hit vehicles on the west and east sides of Spokane County within 30 minutes of each other Tuesday. The first, at Trent Avenue and Idaho Road near the Idaho state line about 5:15 p.m., appeared to be a suicide, said Dave Reagan, spokesman for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. A 40-year-old man who’d been contacted by police earlier in the day for exhibiting suicidal behavior pulled his Chevy Suburban onto the tracks, Reagan said. The train’s engineer said the man made no attempt to flee as the train apporached, Reagan said. “My thoughts go out to the poor engineer who ha no way to avoid the colission,” Reagan said. The Spokesman-Review generally doesn’t report suicides unless they are committed in a public manner. No injuries were reported in the second collision, which occurred about 5:42 p.m. at Pines Spring Road and B Street in Cheney. A 2003 Oldsmobile minivan with a couple and four children inside had gotten stuck on the tracks but was unoccupied when the train hit it, Reagan said. The trains, operated by BNSF Railway Co., had only minor damage, according to a spokesman.