January 28, 2010

Ritzville man struck by train, dies

By Stephen McFadden

Publisher

A 42-year-old Ritzville man died from massive injuries Tuesday night after being struck by a Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train as it passed through the city.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office was notified at 6:20 p.m. by the BNSF’s Houston, Texas, office that one of their trains struck a pedestrian at the Bauman Road crossing just east of Ritzville.

Sheriff’s deputies and Ritzville Police responded to the initial location and were unable to locate a victim.

Train officials then re-contacted the 9-1-1- dispatch center to report that the engineer on the train had reported that the incident occurred between the Division Street and Columbia Street crossings.

The train had stopped and was blocking all the intersections inside the city.

When police returned to the city, they found the remains of Mark Edward Prunier, 42, under the train.

According to a Ritzville Police Department report, Prunier appeared to be walking south bound, crossing the tracks in a poorly lit area between the two crossings. The report, signed by Police Chief David McCormick, states that Prunier was familiar with the area.

Results of the preliminary investigation indicate that the train was not speeding as it crossed the city and the engineer was blowing the train whistle through the crossings. The crossing arms were down with red flashing lights and the warning bells were functioning.

Law enforcement remained at the scene for several hours and the fire department returned to the scene after the remains had been removed to wash down the tracks.