Alcohol is not believed a factor in an April 22 railway incident that ended with a Surrey man losing his foot.
The 41-year-old’s limb was severed between the knee and ankle around 1:30 p.m. when he was struck from behind by a freight train as he walked on tracks along White Rock beach, south of the 13800-block of Marine Drive.
Repeated attempts to warn the man of the approaching train were unsuccessful, likely because he was listening to music on headphones, Cpl. Nina Phillipson said.
“The train was blaring, blaring, blaring its horn.”
The man remains in stable condition in hospital. Police hope to speak with him directly this weekend to glean more information, but do not believe intoxication played a role.
“We suspect he was just walking down the tracks,” Phillipson said.
Phillipson said the incident is a reminder to people visiting the beach to be “super vigilant” near the tracks, which are BNSF property.
“Not only is it against the law, it is so dangerous.”
The incident is being investigated by BNSF and local authorities.