Woman killed by Amtrak train near Tacoma

awimbish76 said on March 25, 2010 at 5:43 PM

What a tragedy. I do agree with FRIDGE..and who are we to judge, God is the ultimate judge. I don't think she was a "fool" but yes, she did make a foolish decision that ultimately cost her.....her life.. I have two teenagers, and it's scary, I try to tell them don't do this, don't do that, follow the rules, follow the signs..you hope and pray when they leave the house they will listen. The truth of the matter is whether teenagers and/or adults we don't always make the "right" decision. Most importantly, I hope we can all come together collectively and send our thoughts and prayers to her family, and to pray that this will be a lesson we can all learn from..I just can't imagine what her family is going through... Take Care Everyone, ~Annie~

grievingfriend said on March 24, 2010 at 10:48 PM

Ju Young Park is nineteen, not twenty, Get your **** facts straight before you report.

wazziel said on March 24, 2010 at 4:27 PM

It would be nice if the news would report what the woman was doing when she was killed. Park was placing coins on the track to have them smashed. I wish the news would state the facts and bring awareness to track safety. I see too many people playing, walking or placing items on the tracks. Railroad tracks are private property. Would you play on a Highway?

carlconstantine said on March 24, 2010 at 2:21 PM

lundgren - That is not very nice... It was an accident. She didn't try to fight the train and lose by a first round knockout. Geez!

lundgren said on March 23, 2010 at 4:29 PM

I remember a funny comedian talking about this: "People getting hit by train... I mean...how stupid are they?"

dede1978 said on March 23, 2010 at 3:52 PM

fridge/scoty, I do feel for her family as well as I would be devastated if this were my child. But reading the article, there is a clearly marked pedestrian crossing with warning light and all. Call me callous if you want, they had no business on the tracks. They are not a play ground, and they are not a means to get to the beach, if in fact that was what they were doing. It was a foolish act that go her killed. As an adult, she should know better. Don't we see enough of these stories in the news to know you don't walk on or cross over train tracks. See the last line in the article above "Last year, 18 people were killed by trains in Washington". Wake up people and stay off the tracks. As digiwave said, if this happened to one of my daughters, I would be not only calling them foolish, but I would be blaming myself for not teaching them better.

scoty said on March 23, 2010 at 1:56 PM

This was a horrible accident, I feel sorry for her family and friends. Why is it you poeple feel the need to call her names and say horrible things, is it the protection of the keyboard that harbors your safety? If that was my child I would put the keyboard right up your @55!

digiwave said on March 23, 2010 at 1:38 PM

Fridge, you are wrong, at least for me! If I had a family member (and yes, I'm a father) that was stupid enough to get themselves killed by a train by being on the tracks, I WOULD call them a fool. And I would also call myself stupid and a poor parent for not having educated my child properly so they would know better. The real sad thing is that this was not a child - it was a 20 year old adult!

fridge said on March 23, 2010 at 1:18 PM

You people are horrible for calling this young girl stupid, you're ignorant if you don't know that in order to access Sunnyside beach you have to cross the tracks. I passed by this incident shortly after it happened & it was a sad scene. People make bad choices all the time, you yourself make foolish choices. Her move was obviously a misjudgement & that has cost her life. If this was your family member or friend you wouldn't be calling them a fool. At some point in your life, you yourself walked or crossed on the tracks. There is a beach down the road called Saltars that has the tracks fenced off & an overpass so people don't have to worry about crossing. I can't remember when someone was hit at that beach, it is also very hard to place pennies on the tracks there because you would have to hop the fence. So Steilacoom really should look into this at Sunnyside. Pray for healing for her family because they have lost a daughter who had her whole life ahead of her.

jinkiesshaggy said on March 23, 2010 at 12:39 PM

Correction, please! Last year, 18 stupid people were killed by trains in Washington. Train tracks = trains. They are not walking trails and to the best of my knowledge, non of these people were tied to the tracks by Snidley Whiplash.

lindenposterbud said on March 23, 2010 at 11:34 AM

only thing overpasses and underpasses help is traffic and people wanting to get to the otherside for a good reason, not the ones who use the tracks as sidewalks and shortcuts. My 2 cents

digiwave said on March 23, 2010 at 11:26 AM

And a few more defective genes are taken out of the gene pool. Go Darwin!

graham said on March 23, 2010 at 10:18 AM

Thats a main line people so don't be stupid stay off the tracks or if you have to cross look both ways

dede1978 said on March 23, 2010 at 9:20 AM

I feel for her family. And for those of you who think overpasses/underpasses will solve the problem. From what I'm reading, they were placing pennies on the track, an intentional act. No overpass or underpass would have prevented this, such fools...... Sorry if I offended anyone, but there is nothing else to say.

inkedwingz said on March 23, 2010 at 2:13 AM

It astounds me that trains have been around for at least 100 years and yet morons are still getting HIT by them. This is not a new invention. This is not a new technology. This warning and common sense should have been passed down for at least 2 generations now. YDI, ignorant child.

bazel said on March 23, 2010 at 12:53 AM

aunt_rie... I don't think you fully read my post. I was there, the horns and lights were working. This woman IGNORED THE LIGHTS, BELLS AND HORNS. She was placing pennies on the tracks and down right ignored all the noises right over her head. She wasn't deaf, nor was the woman with her. They simply didn't think another train would be coming... but isn't that what the lights and horns and warnings are all about? I wouldn't dedicate anything to this woman. She died because she failed to follow instructions in a critical situation. Even if there is a bridge built... people will still do thoughtless and stupid things. Do you know how many people walk on the tracks??? Tons... again, stupid and ignorant. Sorry, but this was PEDESTRIAN ERROR TOTALLY.

aunt_rie said on March 23, 2010 at 12:39 AM

Why lay blame when you can't know for sure what was going through her mind or her ears? You know they said the bells and whistles were working; it is possible that they drowned out the sound of the other train. Amtrak’s do run quiet compared to a freight train. An overpass, (or even an Underpass) for pedestrians may be a less costly solution. Personally I would like to see all traffic detoured overhead or underground so that no crossings are necessary, and the need for those obnoxious ear splitting horns reduced to a less obnoxious level. Maybe someone could spearhead a fund raiser to build such an overpass at the site and name it after the victim. My condolences to her family.

bazel said on March 23, 2010 at 12:34 AM

Really tragic... I was there not 50 ft away and heard these women were placing pennies on the tracks. They didn't pay attention to the flashing lights and now one is dead. I know it's after the fact, but if people would read this and take heed, maybe another life will be saved. Two sets of tracks means that trains can come from either direction even at the same time!!! Flashing lights mean "Don't Friggin Cross Tracks!!!" Do they need to build a bridge over the train tracks for access to the beach? I dare say there is always someone making a bad judgement. I go to this beach regularly and see so many people ignoring the flashing lights and running accross the tracks always thinking they can beat the train. Impatience is always a killer, it's just a matter of how and when.

think said on March 23, 2010 at 12:02 AM

Time to ban trains from Seattle City parks!

clear2copy said on March 22, 2010 at 10:33 PM

sounds horribly preventable..

vandamme said on March 22, 2010 at 10:21 PM

Either the woman was extremely dumb or she commited suicide.

daverino said on March 22, 2010 at 10:14 PM

I had some friends hit by trains over the years, The same story.

aziza said on March 22, 2010 at 9:45 PM

Stay off the tracks people!