A Bellingham High School student was struck and killed by a BNSF Railway Company train around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 30, near Little Squalicum Park.
The student was a freshman at the school, said Dana Smith, Bellingham’s assistant director of communications.
A letter to school parents obtained by Cascadia Daily News said the student, Lucy Guerra, 15, died in a tragic accident.
“Lucy made a positive impact on our school and in our community in a number of ways,” Principal Marty Atkins said in the letter. “She will be missed.”‘
The district mobilized its support team of counselors and mental health specialists to provide mental and emotional support to students at the high school following the announcement.
Tuesday’s accident did not happen at a crossing, and the person was on the tracks, BNSF spokesperson Lena Kent said.
Police Lt. Claudia Murphy confirmed Guerra fell off the train trestle after being hit by a train. The Bellingham Fire Department performed “live-saving measures,” and she was pronounced deceased at the scene.
After interviewing witnesses and train conductors, the incident was deemed a “tragic accident,” Murphy said. A slight curve in the train tracks approaching the trestle might have obscured the sound of an incoming train.
The Whatcom County Medical Examiner conducted an examination and determined the cause of death to be an accident and a result of multiple blunt-force injuries, operations manager Deborah Hollis said.
Friends and family have started a GoFundMe to raise money for the family.
This story will be updated as soon as more information is provided.
