SALT LAKE CITY — Police say a woman suffered fatal injuries Sunday after she stepped into the path of a Union Pacific train in a fenced-off area in downtown Salt Lake City.
Police said the deadly crash occurred in the area of 500 West and North Temple. Fox 13 News first heard report of the fatal incident around 4:15 p.m.
Sgt. Cody Lougy of the Salt Lake City Police Department said the deceased is a woman believed to be in her 50s.
“For an unknown reason this individual stepped into the train’s path, and unfortunately she passed away here at the scene,” he said.
The crash involved a Union Pacific Railroad train that was southbound, and the crash occurred in a fenced-off area. Police aren’t sure how the woman came to be in that location.
The crossing arms are down at 300 North, 500 North and 600 North–blocking east and westbound traffic in those areas. Lougy estimated those closures would continue until about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, as a medical examiner was still on the way to assist in the investigation.
Police believe they know the identity of the woman, but they are not releasing that information pending official confirmation and notification of her family.
It is unclear why the woman moved into the path of the train, but Lougy said there is video footage of the incident that was captured by nearby cameras.
“That video footage, I just watched that, she’s kind of walking back and forth, not sure what she’s doing here on the tracks–that’s definitely something the investigators will look at,” Lougy said.
Loved ones have identified the deceased as Genevieve Blackwater, and they have created a GoFundMe page to assist the family with funeral expenses.
