The Alaska Railroad is investigating the incident involving a southbound freight train that struck and killed a woman from Girdwood this week near Bird Point.
Thirty-year-old Kristal Lavender and another woman on Wednesday afternoon were walking along the tracks with four dogs near a curve, according to the railroad. The train hit and killed Lavender and one of the dogs.
Girdwood Fire and Rescue wrote on Facebook that behavioral health support resources are available for community members who may be grieving — and that Girdwood Clinic and Girdwood Chapel were available to assist with accessing that help.
“Please support and check in on each other,” Girdwood Fire and Rescue said.
While most details from the ongoing investigation have not yet been released, Alaska Railroad spokeswoman Stephenie Wheeler described the accident as tragic for everyone involved, and said the railroad is working with the Anchorage Police Department and federal agencies to determine what happened.
“Collectively, our thoughts and our prayers are with the family. We know this is the time of grief for them, and it’s traumatic for the railroad and our train crews as well. It’s all around very, very difficult,” Wheeler said.
The 100-foot right-of-way on either side of the tracks is closed to the public because it’s an active rail corridor.
The spot where the accident occurred is a popular recreation area with a blind curve, she said.
“It just so happens in this area, there’s a corner, and so the train did sound the horns and bells, but there was no time to stop,” she said. “A train that big has a lot of momentum,” she added. “It just can’t stop quickly.”
Wheeler said it was “absolutely” possible for a pedestrian walking on or near the rails to miss the sound of a train approaching.
“Our locomotives are much lighter than they used to be. And you know, even that kind of rhythmic, ‘clickety-clack,’ we’ve done a lot to smooth out the ride, so you’re not going to hear that,” she said.
That’s especially true if there’s some wind or traffic from the highway that might drown out the noise that a train makes, Wheeler said: “For that very reason, we sound the horn as we approach crossings and stations, and in areas where there might be a public recreation site.”
The mile-long train originated from Anchorage and was headed to Whittier. The train speed posted in the spot where Lavender was struck was 40 mph, Wheeler said.
“That would be the maximum speed that the train would be going,” she said. The train was equipped with an automated “positive train control system” that acts as a safety overlay to make sure that the train doesn’t go over the speed limit, she said.
As part of the investigative process, railroad police download data from the event recorded by the train — like the speed it was going, whether horns and bells had been sounded and the conditions of the tracks — as well as interview witnesses, Wheeler said.
The Alaska Railroad is regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration, and all incidents need to be reported to that agency, said Wheeler. The Anchorage Police Department was also assisting with the investigation.
Since the Alaska Railroad was purchased by the state in 1985, there have been a total of 16 accidents involving a pedestrian who was struck and killed while on the tracks, including this incident, Wheeler said. The last incident before this week occurred in Wasilla last year, involving a man sleeping on the tracks, according to Wheeler.
Around this time of year, the railroad begins a process of ramping up public safety messaging related to staying away from railroad tracks, she said.
“Spring is here; people are getting out more,” she said. “So we’ll be launching that enhanced messaging here shortly.”