Kansas Pedestrian Killed by BNSF Train in Kansas City Suburb
(Edgerton, Kansas – May 10, 2020)
An as-yet unidentified pedestrian, believed to be a female in her mid-20’s, was struck and killed by a BNSF freight train in Edgerton, KS early Sunday (Mothers’ Day) morning at about 1 AM, CDT.
It was unknown at this time what the pedestrian was doing near the railroad tracks. However, the railroad tracks in this location is largely unfenced and easily-accessed by pedestrians for a short-cut or access to walking and jogging paths.
The double-tracked main line railroad tracks where this incident occurred carries a daily average of 66 BNSF freight trains at a maximum allowable speed of 70 mph. The multiple tracks may have confused the victim as to which track the train was on. It is also unknown at this time whether any audible warning, such as a train horn, was provided to the pedestrian.
BNSF’s own police force was conducting the investigation into this tragedy. The Johnson County Sheriff’s office was merely “providing assistance” to BNSF’s investigation. As a result, there is little doubt what BNSF’s conclusion of this tragedy will be – the pedestrian was trespassing and was at fault for this incident.
