Richard T. Lonseth, 71, of Bellingham was identified as the man who was struck and killed by the Amtrak train on Tuesday, March 26, 2019, at the intersection of F and Roeder Streets.
Lonseth was seen riding his bike on Roeder Ave through the on-going construction area, heading toward F Street. The nearby railroad crossing arms were down and the warning lights and alarms were activating, signaling the approaching Amtrak train. Witnesses saw Lonseth heading toward the train tracks despite the crossing arms being down. Flaggers from the construction company waved their stop sign paddles to stop Lonseth from going further, but he did not stop.
Lonseth continued to ride past the flaggers, around the crossing arm and onto the railroad tracks, riding diagonally to cross the tracks. The train was heard sounding its horn as it approached the intersection and despite activating its emergency braking system, was unable to stop before colliding with Lonseth on his bike. Lonseth was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation shows the railroad crossing arms, signals and lights were working properly at the time of the crash.
