MURRAY, Utah, Nov. 2, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A TRAX rider who died Wednesday afternoon after he got off a train at the Murray Central Station, and was hit by another train pulling in on the next track, has been identified.
The Utah Transit Authority on Thursday identified the victim as 26-year-old Joey Kirk.
“An individual exited a train, had headphones on, was wearing a ball cap, unfortunately wasn’t paying attention to the surroundings, and was hit by a train,” said Chief Fred Ross, UTA Police Department.
“He was transported to a local hospital in very serious condition.”
The man, Kirk, was later pronounced dead, UTA spokesman Steve Allnatt confirmed to Gephardt Daily.
Signs are posted asking TRAX customers to be aware of their surroundings. Ross said they don’t always help.
“Society — we have electronics and we’re looking down at cell phones, got our earbuds in, and those type of things. (We’re) just not paying attention to our surroundings,” Ross said, prior to learning of the victim’s death.
Ross said he did not know the speed at which the train was traveling, but, ” …. even at 5 mph is going to have a significant impact.”
A bus bridge was set up between Murray and Fashion Place.
“It probably impacted a couple hundred people is all, but we were able to get it in place and get them all to their next stop very quickly,” Ross said.
As of 5:40 p.m., some TRAX lines were still experiencing delays. For updates, click on the UTA Twitter page.
