A pedestrian was struck by a train Saturday afternoon near Laurel Road and Parkway Lane in Billings, Montana, prompting a response from multiple emergency services. Westbound traffic on Laurel Road was temporarily reduced to one lane during the investigation, but has since been fully reopened, according to the Billings Police Department.
Authorities responded to the incident just before 3 p.m., with the Billings Fire Department, the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office, and representatives from the train company also on scene, investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision.
Witnesses described a harrowing scene. Jason, a resident of Three Forks, was waiting at a nearby traffic light with his 13-year-old daughter when the incident occurred. “We were sitting at a light and just kind of out of my peripheral, there was a train coming,” Jason recounted on a web call Sunday. “I saw a person and then I saw somebody flying through the air.” Jason requested anonymity for himself and his daughter, stating that processing the event has been challenging for both of them. “It took a minute to process it, to be honest,” he said. “When he came to rest about 30 feet down the embankment, I was like ‘Oh my god. Did that really just happen?’”
Another witness, Stephanie Hiebert, initially believed she was approaching a car accident while traveling with her children. Upon closer inspection, she realized the situation was far more serious. “Me and my children, we seen that there was a person laying on the ground and there was a white sheet,” Hiebert said Sunday afternoon. “You think about it and it’s like how did this happen? Like was it intentional? It’s just really sad.”
As of Sunday, Billings Police have not released information regarding the condition of the individual struck by the train. The investigation remains ongoing.
