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

Slow-moving train hits car in Seattle; no serious injuries

Associated Press

SEATTLE – A slow-moving Union Pacific freight train struck a car in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood Tuesday, but no one was seriously hurt.

Witnesses told KIRO-TV that the car was positioned behind a pillar and the driver couldn’t see the train approaching.

As the driver started to cross the tracks, it was struck by the train. The driver wasn’t seriously hurt.

Neighbors in the area say they have been after the railroad to help prevent exactly that type of accident.

John Bennett with the Georgetown Merchants Association says they’ve been trying to get the railroad to put crossing gates at the site but have had no luck.

Union Pacific spokesman Justin Jacobs told the Associated Press that state authorities are the ones who decide where to put crossing gates.

Jacobs says there is a warning sign at this crossing and in this case, the driver didn’t yield to the train. He says the accident is under investigation.

This story was corrected to show that the train was Union Pacific, not BNSF.