Woman dies after apparently being struck by an Amtrak train in Waterbury
March 18, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti | Photos by Gordon MillerUPDATE: This story has been updated with a statement from Amtrak below.
First responders were called to the Waterbury Train Station Friday evening for a report that a person had been struck by the northbound Amtrak passenger train on the tracks just east of the station.
Vermont State Police at the Waterbury Train Station on Rotarian Way on Friday night. Photo by Gordon Miller
They arrived to find the Vermonter train stopped and a woman deceased on the tracks in front of the train, according to officials at the scene.
The incident occurred just before 8 p.m. as the train approached Waterbury for its scheduled 7:50 p.m. nightly stop. Waterbury Fire Department and Waterbury Ambulance Service were called to the scene at 8:03 p.m., according to Fire Chief Gary Dillon.
For about three and a half hours, the Vermonter train bound for St. Albans for the night after making the trip north from Washington, D.C. sat idling on the tracks while emergency crews assessed the situation.
Multiple troopers from the Vermont State Police were at the scene. They said passengers intending to get off in Waterbury were able to leave the train. Only a few passengers remained on board, bound for either Essex Junction or St. Albans.
No one else on or near the train was injured, police said.
Officials from Amtrak arrived around 10 p.m. to begin the steps necessary to allow the train to continue on its way.
An Amtrak spokeswoman responded on Saturday with a short statement to the Waterbury Roundabout:
On March 17, Amtrak Train 56 was traveling from Washington, D.C., to St. Albans at about 7:48 p.m. when it came into contact with a person trespassing on the track in Waterbury. There have been no reported injuries to the 19 passengers or to the crew aboard our train. Amtrak is working with state and local authorities to investigate the incident, including the Vermont State Police.
No further information was available regarding the identity of the woman pending notification of family, according to state police. The victim was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington to determine the cause and manner of death.
The Vermont State Police investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Criminal Investigations at the Berlin barracks. Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact detectives at 802-229-9191.
This post will be updated as new information becomes available.