A man who struck by a freight train north of Felida early this morning has died, officials said.
Firefighters responded to Northwest Krieger Road near Northeast 179th Street, between Felida and Ridgefield, for the emergency, reported at about 7:30 a.m.
A man in his 30s was sitting on the tracks when the northbound train approached and tried to brake, but the man was struck and thrown 60 feet down an embankment, Clark County Fire & Rescue Spokesman Tim Dawdy said.
Firefighters found the man in critical condition, Dawdy said, and he was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.
The man later died at the hospital, said BNSF Spokesman Gus Melonas.
The fatality is the 22nd fatality on BNSF tracks in Washington State so far this year, making it one of the deadliest years for train deaths in decades, Melonas said.
Clark County Fire & Rescue, Clark County Fire District 6 and American Medical Response responded to the scene along with Clark County Sheriff’s Office and BNSF police.
Dawdy said the area is known for trespassers and the agency has responded to several crashes involving trains and pedestrians in the area. He encouraged people to stop trespassing onto the tracks.
“There’s no sense in having that kind of tragedy,” he said. “The best way to prevent these accidents is to stay off the railroad tracks.”
The train was a Union Pacific freight train traveling north on Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks,