Man critically injured after being hit by train while crossing tracks in SLC

SALT LAKE CITY — A man was in critical condition Friday morning after he was hit by a train in Salt Lake City, police say.

At approximately 5:15 a.m., the man attempted to cross a set of train tracks near 200 S. 700 West, according to Communications Director Brent Weisberg with the Salt Lake City Police Department. As he attempted to cross, a train hit him.

It was a Union Pacific train, Weisberg said, that was traveling northbound at a slow rate of speed. The man had been walking west through the pedestrian crossing area of the tracks.

“Based on the information that we have so far, it appears that the train was blaring its horn — also the crossing arms were down, and the lights indicating that a train crossing was occurring, were all activated and occurring properly. Yet the man continued to try to beat the train. And that’s when he was struck by this train,” Weisberg said.

The man was taken to the hospital.

“These trains — it takes a considerable amount of time for them to even slow down from a slow speed. And of course we’ve seen in rural areas when trains are traveling at a high rate of speed, it can take a significant distance for them to come to a significant stop,” Weisberg said.

Weisberg said the engineer in this case could see the man and immediately began safety protocol to stop the train, but because of the difficulty any train has in stopping so quickly, the train didn’t fully stop until even after the impact.

Police said 200 South was scheduled to be closed in between 600 West and Jeremy street for approximately two hours.

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