Woman was killed by train after her wheelchair stopped on railroad tracks, police say

A 40-year-old woman was struck and killed by a freight train in Johnston County early Friday when her motorized wheelchair stopped on the tracks, police said.

The accident happened at about 12:37 a.m. at a railroad crossing near 150 E. Second St. in the downtown district of Kenly.

The wheelchair got stuck on the tracks or its battery died, a police spokesman said.

“She couldn’t get across,” the spokesman said. “The train knocked her about 95 feet from the tracks and she landed in a ditch on the east side of the tracks.”

Police have not publicly identified the woman pending notification of her next of kin, the spokesman reported.

This story was originally published July 13, 2018 at 1:09 PM.