Man hit by train near downtown Bellingham dies

A man died after being hit by a freight train Wednesday afternoon, May 13, in Bellingham.

The man, in his early 30s, was walking eastward alongside the tracks around 4 p.m., in the same direction as a BNSF train, said Bellingham Police Officer L.L. Leake. The engineer blasted the train whistle several times but the man, who had headphones on, didn’t react.

The train put on its emergency brakes but still hit the man near Roeder Avenue and Bellwether Way. He was thrown off the tracks to the north, toward a tall brushy embankment. Police found him eight train-car lengths behind the locomotive. He’d suffered serious injuries to his head.

The man was unresponsive but still had a pulse, Leake said, when firefighters loaded him into an ambulance.

However, he died later Wednesday, BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas told the Associated Press. His name has not been released.

Bellingham Police and BNSF officials continued to investigate into the evening.

This story was originally published May 13, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Man hit by train near downtown Bellingham dies."