The man hit and killed by a train on Sunday night was a Stevenson resident.
Russell Stotts, 54, was struck by a BNSF Railway freight train about a mile east of Stevenson, the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office said. He had been fishing with friends along the Columbia River and left the group to return to his vehicle.
The train, which originated in Seattle and was heading to Pasco, struck the man at 8:52 p.m.
A passer-by, who had pulled off to the side of state Highway 14 to repair a flat tire, saw Stotts walking west along the tracks. The witness told deputies that Stotts didn’t move or acknowledge the horn as the train approached. Stotts was struck by the cattle guard on the front of the engine car.
First responders found his body a couple hundred yards east of where he was hit. BNSF police and Skamania deputies are investigating.
