Amtrak engineer on Seattle-bound train nearly impaled by fallen tree
A railroad engineer was nearly impaled Tuesday night when a Seattle-bound Amtrak Cascades train hit a fallen tree.
Heavy winds had blown the tree onto the BNSF Railway tracks near Stanwood, about 15 miles north of Everett in Snohomish County.
A weather station on Camano Island, just west of Stanwood, reported a 63 mile per hour gust shortly before the train ran into the tree.
The tree smashed through the rail car’s front window.
The engineer was treated for minor injuries at a nearby hospital.
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Washington State Department of Transportation officials say none of the train’s 48 passengers were injured. A bus took them to their destinations.
The front car of the Amtrak Cascades train was heavily damaged.
A BNSF freight locomotive was hooked up to the empty train to help haul it to Seattle.
After the train and the fallen tree were removed, the tracks were reopened.
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John Ryan
Environment Reporter
John Ryan joined KUOW as its first full-time investigative reporter in 2009 and became its environment reporter in 2018. He focuses on climate change, energy, and the ecosystems of the Puget Sound region.
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