Bicyclist killed by train in downtown Kent

A 47-year-old Kent man was struck and killed by an Amtrak train while riding a bicycle across the tracks at about 9:17 p.m. Tuesday at the West Gowe Street railroad crossing in downtown Kent.

Witnesses reported seeing the bicyclist traveling east on Gowe Street, bypass the downed traffic control gates at the intersection and onto the crossing at the moment the train entered the crossing and the collision occurred, according to a Kent Police media release.

Police identified the bicyclist as Lonnie D. Moss.

Investigators believe a helmet and radio headphones worn by Moss may have limited his ability to hear the approaching train.

The passenger train was traveling north on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe track right of way en route to Seattle.

Witnesses found Moss and his bicycle lying alongside the track after the train cleared the crossing. Police and fire personnel rushed to the scene where they found Moss fatally injured. The area around the rail crossing remained closed for about 90 minutes while law enforcement and train officials conducted their investigation.

As with other rail crossings throughout the downtown Kent area, the Gowe Street crossing is equipped with large, light-reflective gates, as well as red flashing signals and audible bells.

“It is extremely important that motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists not take rail crossing safety for granted and obey the signals,” said Kent Police Lt. Pat Lowery.

Moss is the first person killed by a train in Kent since a 17-year-old girl was killed in April 2008 crossing the tracks while talking on a cell phone, according to the state Utilities and Transportation Commission website. Eight people have been killed by trains in Kent over the last 14 years.