A 30-year-old Kent man was hit and killed by an Amtrak train while walking across the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks about 5:21 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5 at East Titus Street.
Multiple officers were dispatched to the incident and upon arrival learned the man had died, according to a Feb. 6 Kent Police news release.
The initial information provided by train crew members indicates that the man was crossing the tracks from east to west and appeared to not notice the approaching train, according to police. The train crew confirmed that the train arms were functioning and in the down position to stop crossing traffic. They stated that both the train’s whistle and crossing warning signals were activated and working properly.
The man was trespassing on the track, according to a Feb. 6 email from an Amtrak spokesperson.
Benito Martinez, 30, died of multiple blunt force injuries, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office Feb. 6 report. An initial police report listed his age as 38.
The train was traveling northbound from Portland to Vancouver, B.C., according to Amtrak. There were no reported injuries to the 131 passengers or crew on board.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration, trespassing along railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America, and railroad crossing incidents are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in America, according to the Amtrak spokesperson.
“These incidents can affect everyone involved—those who are injured or die and their families, our train crews, and our passengers,” according to Amtrak. “They also serve as critical reminders about the importance of obeying the law and of exercising extreme caution around railroad tracks and crossings. Amtrak continues to work closely with Operation Lifesaver (OLI) to #STOPTrackTragedies by emphasizing the obvious dangers of being on railroad property or disregarding warnings at rail crossings.”
Officers contacted local businesses nearby to request any video they may have on their surveillance cameras. Anyone with video of this incident or additional information can call the Kent Police tip line at 253-856-5808 or email KPDTipLine@kentwa.gov.
2nd death this year
A 30-year-old man died in Kent after being struck by a BNSF freight train Jan. 20 while walking near West James Street and First Avenue North, according to the state Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The death was ruled a trespass fatality by the UTC, meaning the incident occurred at a location along the railroad right-of-way (not at a crossing).
There has been two other train deaths in the state so far this year, a BNSF freight train struck a pedestrian Jan. 9 in Tacoma (trespass fatality) and a BNSF train struck a pedestrian Jan. 21 at the Broad Street crossing in Seattle, according to the UTC.
24 deaths since 2018
While Kent has had two railroad deaths so far this year, the city had two fatalities in 2024 and one in 2023 for a total of 24 over the last eight years, an average of three per year. All have been pedestrians hit by trains.
Nineteen pedestrians were killed in Kent by trains from 2018 through 2022, four in 2022, seven in 2021, three in 2020, four in 2019 and one in 2018, according to the UTC.
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