Train kills two commuters who fell onto tracks

Gresham, Ore: A light-rail train in Gresham struck and killed two people, one of whom was in a wheelchair, authorities have said.

A person in a motorised mobility device exited the train with a companion at the Gresham City Hall station, the TriMet transportation agency said. The companion jumped on the lap of the person in the wheelchair and hit the controls, propelling both of them into the gap between two train cars just as the train was leaving the station, officials said.

The blue line train was moving at the time the two fell into the right of way, TriMet spokeswoman Angela Murphy told the Oregonian. “They think he hopped into her lap, pushing it forward into the path” of the train, Murphy said.

The platform has a three-foot (0.9 metres) drop into the tracks.

The train operator did not see the incident and was not aware until a short time later, TriMet said.

“This is an extremely traumatic event for an operator,” Murphy told the newspaper.

One person died at the scene, and the other died at a local hospital.

The victims were a 66-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man, the Oregonian reported.