Man hit, killed by train

Independent staff report

GALLUP — An eastbound Amtrak train struck 18-year-old Vonerick Begay Saturday morning, killing him instantly.

The accident occurred near Industrial Road just north of Paramount Liquor in West Gallup.

Lt. Rick White of the Gallup Police Department said Begay, who lived in Churchrock, was sitting on the north rail about 9 a.m. when the Amtrak conductor noticed him. sounded the horn and applied the brakes, White said. Begay didn't respond to the horn.

When a similar incident occurred two weeks ago, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad spokesman Joe Faust indicated that as a general rule, a loaded train traveling 50 m.p.h. requires at least one mile to come to a complete stop with the brakes applied in full.

White said Begay's body has been sent to the New Mexico medical investigator's office for toxicology, which will reveal if alcohol played a role in the fatality.

The accident caused the train to be delayed 2 1/2 hours, White said.

In December, a similar incident claimed a man’s life near the Comfort Inn, also in West Gallup.