Bicyclist killed in Salt Lake after collision with FrontRunner
Oct 30, 2023, 7:41 PM | Updated: Oct 31, 2023, 4:47 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — A bicyclist was killed Monday evening when investigators said he was struck by a FrontRunner train.
The collision temporarily shut down train traffic in the area of 900 South and 650 West as crews investigated.
According to Utah Transit Authority spokesman Carl Arky, two bicyclists were headed along 900 West and were coming up the tracks after a Union Pacific train had already passed southbound through the crossing.
Arky said, however, a FrontRunner train was still approaching northbound.
“One of the cyclists saw the train coming, the other one — we think he saw the train but decided to try to beat it and didn’t get across the tracks in time,” Arky told KSL TV.
UTA identified the deceased cyclist as 24-year-old Collin Teng.
Arky said it appeared that the arms had started to come up after the Union Pacific train passed through but that the other indicators were still going off at the crossing.
“The gates were starting to come up again but they hadn’t fully raised but that’s really the point,” Arky said. “It’s not the gates as much as it is the lights and the bells. All the apparatus is there for your protection.”
He urged others—cyclists and pedestrians alike—not to risk it around crossings.
“Take the extra time, wait, make sure,” Arky said. “Don’t take a risk. Don’t try to get across the tracks. Don’t try to beat the train. It’s not worth it.”
