A woman here was killed when she was struck by a Burlington Northern Sante Fe train Tuesday morning.
Authorities say a 35-year-old Detroit Lakes woman, whose name has not been released, had met a friend from Mahnomen, whose name also is being withheld, at the Amtrak station in Detroit Lakes Tuesday morning.
She was talking with the man at the station, who'd given her a television set and a stuffed animal, evidently as birthday presents, when she decided to cross the tracks to go to a tobacco store.
She was hit when she was returning to the depot about 10:39 a.m., according to the Becker County Sheriff's Department.
Detroit Lakes Police Chief Kel Keena said a westbound BNSF train hit the woman and an engineer in a second, eastbound BNSF train witnessed the accident.
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Keena said the train that hit the woman was blowing its whistle.
"She thought she could make it, I suppose," Keena said. "I don't know."
He said about 11:30 a.m. that police were waiting for BNSF officials to arrive and conduct their investigation and for a crew from Glyndon, Minn., to move the train.
He said the crossing might open during lunch.
Pippi Mayfield is a reporter at the Detroit Lakes Tribune, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
