Bicyclist struck and killed by train
NORMAN — A train struck and killed a bicyclist Wednesday afternoon, marking Norman’s first train accident of the year.
The man, who was not identified Wednesday, was struck at the Main Street crossing about 12:50 p.m. Wednesday, Norman police spokeswoman Sarah Jensen said.
Railroad crossings at Acres and Eufaula streets were closed for most of the afternoon.
“This is the first of the year, so far,” Jensen said.
Last year, there were five train crashes involving pedestrians in Norman, all of which were fatal and three of which were confirmed suicides, Jensen said.
Two of the crashes occurred at the Constitution Street crossing, she said, and one each at Acres, Duffy and Cedar Lane streets, she said.
In the state
In the first seven months of the year, state troopers have worked two crashes involving trains and pedestrians, according to preliminary Department of Public Safety data.
Of the 21 crashes with trains that have occurred in Oklahoma so far this year, only one was fatal. Last year, a total of seven people died in crashes with trains in the state, public safety data shows.
As of July 30, 35 people had been involved in collisions with trains this year. Only 34 people were involved in train crashes in all of 2016. However, in more than half the crashes involving trains in 2016 and 2017, no injuries were reported, public safety data shows. Friday was the day of the week that saw the most crashes, with a total of 10 occurring on that day in the past 19 months.
In the first seven months of this year, five crashes were reported in April. March and June had four crashes each, public safety data shows.
In Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City police also worked a fatal crash involving a train last month. Two men died after the vehicle they were in was struck by a southbound train on Hefner Road, just east of Lee Avenue. The driver ignored the railroad crossing barricades, disregarded the warning lights and attempted to cross the tracks when the train struck the car’s passenger side, police said.
Officers also worked two other crashes involving trains in the past month, Sgt. Gary Knight said.
Further data on recent train crashes worked by Oklahoma City police was not immediately available.