Train hits, injures rail-tie walker in LR
A female pedestrian was hit by a train in Little Rock on Friday morning, authorities said.
According to the Little Rock Fire Department, the call about someone struck near Geyer Springs Road and West 65th Street in the city’s southwest came in about 9:45 a.m.
The pedestrian was treated on scene then transported to the UAMS Medical Center, a Fire Department spokesman said. Her age was not released.
A Little Rock Police Department spokesman said the pedestrian has a broken arm and her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Jeff DeGraff, a spokesman for Union Pacific Railroad, said the pedestrian was walking on the railroad ties between two tracks but was still in the oncoming train’s path because its size extends beyond the rails.
Trains can hang up to 6 feet over the tracks on either side, he said.
According to the spokesman, the conductor sounded the horn, but the pedestrian did not clear the path, so he executed an emergency stop.
It was not known why the pedestrian stayed where she was.
Union Pacific special agents also responded to the crash, and train was stopped for a little under an hour, DeGraff said.
The pedestrian was conscious when authorities arrived, the spokesman said. He said authorities from Union Pacific will be following up with her to learn more about the situation.