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15-Year-Old Fatally Hit By Amtrak Train

Posted: 5:11 pm PDT July 19, 2008Updated: 6:21 pm PDT July 20, 2008

A 15-year-old boy has died after police say he tried to beat an Amtrak train when he crossed in front of it.

Centralia investigators said the boy was on his BMX bicycle around 4:30 p.m. Saturday when he crossed in front of the Amtrak train at the Chestnut Street crossing in the 600 block of Tower Street in Centralia.

Police said there was no indication that he had anything covering his ears so that he wouldn’t have heard the train coming.

The boy and his bicycle were thrown forward off the tracks. His 14-year-old friend who was riding behind him was not hurt.

The Amtrak engineer immediately hit the brake, police said, and the train came to a stop 100 yards from the collision site.

No one on the train was hurt.

Passengers told KIRO 7 that the conductor warned them that there was a problem and that the train had hit a pedestrian.

The train spent an hour and a half stopped on the tracks in Centralia.

“It's just sad, very sad. People try to race trains, or cross tracks and when there's a train coming, you can't beat it -- you've got to wait for it regardless,” said passenger Steven Davies.

Police said the onboard computer showed the train running well within the speed limit.

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