According to Cowlitz County Sheriff’s deputy Charlie Rosenzweig, the unidentified man “walked out between the northbound and southbound set of train tracks to pose for pictures as the train passed by him.”
Perhaps attempting to get an action shot of himself standing next to a speeding train, the man was struck around 10:28 a.m. and ultimately died at the scene of the accident. The woman, also posing at the time, walked away from the incident without sustaining any injuries.
Apparently, the two didn’t realize that the train was approaching from the southbound set of tracks. Of course, this isn’t the first time that a railroad trespasser has been killed by a train. According to BNSF Railway, more than 30 people have been killed on the tracks in Washington, between 2013 and 2014, after being struck by a train.
This also isn’t the first time that someone has been killed while being distracted with taking a selfie. During November 2014, 23-year old Sylwia Rajchel died in the city of Seville while attempting to take a selfie. Rajchel was trying to capture a picture of herself standing precariously close to the edge of the Puente de Triana bridge when she tumbled 15 feet to the concrete below. Despite the best efforts of medics that arrived on scene, Rajchel suffered cardiac arrest and later died of her injuries.
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