The Lewis County Coroner’s Office has positively identified a woman fatally struck by a train in Winlock on Sept. 19 as Cheryl M. Ryan, 71, of Winlock. The coroner’s office has also identified the man fatally struck by a train in a separate incident in Chehalis on Sept. 6 as David M. Bailey, 54, of Chehalis.
The coroner’s office announced Thursday that Ryan’s “cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma, and the manner of death has been ruled accidental.”
Ryan was walking on the tracks in the 1400 block of Ferrier Road when she was struck by a southbound train at 4:36 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, according to 911 call logs and information from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The coroner's office announced Thursday that Bailey’s “cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma and the manner of death is pending toxicology and further investigation.”
The incident was reported to the Chehalis Police Department at approximately 2:16 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, according to a news release issued by the department.
“Chehalis police officers learned that a 54-year-old male subject had been walking on the train tracks when he was struck by a northbound train. The subject was pronounced dead at the scene,” the Chehalis Police Department said in the news release.
“This case is still under investigation and no further details are being released at this time,” the Chehalis Police Department said in the news release.
The deaths were among three recent fatalities involving trains in Lewis County.
A third fatality involving a southbound Amtrak train that fatally struck Stephanie A. Marlowe, 38, of Centralia, occurred in Centralia just before 9 a.m. on July 29.
Marlowe died due to multiple blunt force trauma, and her manner of death has been ruled accidental, according to the coroner’s office.
"Centralia is no stranger to train track dangers. Just last weekend a driver high centered on a track in Centralia and was booked for DUI, but this year we've had both train vs. vehicle collisions and train vs. pedestrian collisions," the Centralia Police Department wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. "Trains can come on any track, at any time, from either direction. Be cautious when approaching railroad crossings and never walk on or too close to railroad tracks. Always follow the signs and signals."
