Female pedestrian struck, killed by train in downtown Raleigh

A female pedestrian died after she was struck by a freight train in downtown Raleigh on Monday morning.

Posted 12:04 p.m. Oct 28, 2019 — Updated 3:48 p.m. Oct 28, 2019

Jessica Patrick

, WRAL digital journalist

RALEIGH, N.C. — A female pedestrian died after she was struck by a freight train in downtown Raleigh on Monday morning.

Around 7:30 a.m., officers with the Raleigh Police Department responded to the railroad tracks at Cabarrus Street and Harrington Street.

Sky 5 video showed a freight train stalled on the tracks and numerous officers at the scene. Police did not confirm the woman's identity, but women from the Helen Wright Center across the street told WRAL News they were worried a woman was hit while leaving the shelter.

Man fatally struck by Amtrak train in Durham

Women can sleep at the shelter overnight but must leave by 8 a.m., and a woman was leaving right before the train crash, they said.

Another pedestrian was killed by a train in Raleigh earlier this month, and a man was fatally struck by an Amtrak train in downtown Durham in September.

Man struck by train, critically injured in Cary

In 2018, 18 North Carolinians were killed and 13 were injured while trespassing on railroad tracks, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Walking or taking photos on railroad tracks is illegal, and train crashes are almost always fatal, officials said.

“You put your life at risk by walking, playing or taking pictures on railroad tracks," said Jason Orthner, director of NCDOT’s Rail Division. “We need people to understand the real dangers of railroad tracks.”

According to the DOT, new technology has made approaching trains quieter, which increases the risk for an accident.

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