BNSF worker on cell phone killed by Northstar train
(The following story by Nancy Ngo appeared on the Pioneer Press website on September 1, 2010.)
A man working on railroad tracks was killed Wednesday when he stepped from behind a noisy locomotive and into the path of an oncoming Northstar Commuter Rail train.
Andrew Kim Weaver, 53, of Fridley was hit by an eastbound train at a double-crossing near Egret Boulevard just east of Coon Rapids Boulevard in Coon Rapids at about 6:50 a.m. Wednesday. He was a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway employee who had been testing tracks when the accident happened.
"Andrew was a vital part of our team, and we are all deeply saddened by his loss," said John Cech, general director of line maintenance at BNSF. The Texas-based railroad said Weaver had been an employee for 31 years.
Authorities say Weaver most likely did not see or hear the oncoming Northstar train.
The test train's locomotive, which was parked on westbound tracks, was running at the time. Weaver was talking on his cell phone when he stepped from behind the parked train and onto the eastbound tracks, where the Northstar was approaching at 80 mph, according to the Anoka County sheriff's office.
There were also no warning sounds the intersection where the accident occurred was in a "no whistle," or quiet zone, because it was in a residential neighborhood.
BNSF owns the tracks and leases them to Metro Transit so the agency can operate Northstar Commuter Rail service during certain times of the day.
The Northstar train that struck Weaver was carrying 150 to 200 passengers.
It was the third of five daily morning commuter trains that run from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis, said Metro Transit spokesman Bob Gibbons.
It and the two remaining trains were canceled and buses picked up commuters, he said. Trains resumed their regularly scheduled service Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday's incident was the first accident involving Northstar service since it debuted in November.
