(Hyattsville, Maryland – April 21, 2011)
Previously called a suicide, the April 15th death of 90-year-old Marie Savoy has been ruled an accident by Hyattsville Police, according to HPD Lt. Mark Roski. A Hyattsville resident, Savoy was crossing the CSX tracks with her daughter along Rhode Island Avenue near Farragut Street when a D.C.-bound MARC passenger train, travelling at 60 to 70 mph, came through the area and struck and killed her.
Her daughter’s screams alerted a Prince George’s County police officer, who was the first law enforcement officer to arrive on the scene. “There are signs posted at some points informing pedestrians that it is dangerous – and illegal – to cross the tracks,” said Hyattsville City Spokesperson Abby Sandel. “We know that pedestrians routinely cross along the stretch. I haven’t measured the distance, but the alternative is to walk over the Route 1 overpass. It’s a significant additional distance,” The city spokesperson added. “In train-related accidents, CSX assists, but does not investigate, deaths,” she told The Hyattsville Patch.