Train in Kent strikes, kills 39-year-old female pedestrian
Published 1:05 pm Monday, August 3, 2026
A 39-year-old woman was killed when she reportedly walked onto the BNSF Railway tracks in Kent, stopped and faced a train before being struck.
Officers were dispatched about 5:13 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2 to the area of 301 Railroad Ave. S., in regard to a train striking a pedestrian, according to a Aug. 3 Kent Police news release.
“The conductor advised that they were northbound on the tracks, approaching the transit center when he observed a person crossing the tracks in front of them,” according to a police statement. “The person stopped on the tracks and faced the train. The conductor activated the train horn repeatedly, but the person did not move off of the tracks.”
Kent Police advised in the news release that if you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or behavioral health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day for free, confidential support. If there is an immediate threat to life or a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.
“Help is available, and no one needs to face a crisis alone,” according to a police statement.
Death by train
This marks the fifth death of a pedestrian by train so far in 2026, according to incidents reported by the Kent Reporter.
Two people were killed in July and two were killed in February. Four were on the BNSF Railway tracks just east of downtown and one on the Union Pacific Railroad tracks just west of town.
Thirty pedestrians have been killed by trains in the city over the last nine years, according to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission website. Three were killed in 2025, two in 2024, one in 2023, four in 2022, seven in 2021, three in 2020, four in 2019 and one in 2018.
