A person was struck and killed by a train Wednesday afternoon in south-central El Paso, turning a stretch of track near Fox Plaza into an active crime scene that kept detectives and emergency crews on site for hours.
Scene and response
The first 911 call came in at about 2:23 p.m., and police followed up with a public alert around 3:12 p.m., according to reporting. The collision was reported at 201 North Clark Drive, a few blocks north of Alameda Avenue in the Fox Plaza area.
Union Pacific told KVIA that the person was on the tracks near North Clark Drive and El Paso Drive and described them as a trespasser. The railroad said the train crew was not injured and that it is working with local authorities as Crimes Against Persons detectives lead the investigation.
Why trespassing is deadly
Trespassing on railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States, and federal safety officials say most of those fatalities do not have to happen. Data from the Federal Railroad Administration shows that trespass incidents and crashes at grade crossings together make up the vast majority of rail deaths, which is why the agency backs programs focused on prevention and enforcement.
Local and national rail-safety advocates often boil the solution down to three basic tools: education, enforcement and engineering. The goal is to keep people off the tracks in the first place, since a train-versus-pedestrian encounter almost always ends the same way.
Recent local incidents
This latest death is not the Borderland’s only train-related fatality this year. In March, a person was killed after being hit by a train in Fabens, prompting another intensive investigation. That crash happened on Alameda Avenue, where detectives interviewed the train crew as part of their work. KVIA reported those details.
Investigation continues, safety resources
El Paso police say the investigation into Wednesday’s death is ongoing. The victim’s identity has not yet been released, and anyone with information is urged to contact investigators…