AURORA | A 35-year-old man police say was hearing impaired was killed Sunday afternoon after he walked in front of a light-rail train, the second light-rail crash death in Aurora in a week.
Police did not release the man’s name Monday or additional details about how it is the man stepped in front of a moving train.
Nate Currey, a spokesman for RTD, said the crash will not effect the R-Line’s opening, which is slated for Friday.
Police said the man was walking east at about 2 p.m. on the north side of East 30th Avenue, toward light-rail tracks of the soon-to-open R Line. Investigators said the man disregarded a “Don’t Walk” sign and pedestrian gates as the light-rail train was approaching. The train had no passengers because it’s in testing phase, but runs regularly. Investigators said the man may have been intoxicated.
The train operator told police the man “pushed through the gate and into the path of the light-rail train.” He said he set the emergency braking system when he saw what was about to happen, but the train did not stop before striking the man. The operator called rescuers, but the man was unresponsive when firefighters and police arrived. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
“It appears that the male was hearing impaired and possible intoxication is also a factor being investigated at this time,” according to a statement from Aurora police traffic Sgt. Chris Carleton.
On Feb. 14, a 24-year-old man drove his van into the path of an on-coming A Line train. He was killed by the collision and four passengers on the train were injured.