Newly released video of the moments before a cyclist was struck and killed by a FrontRunner train in Salt Lake City shows the 22-year-old didn’t appear to stop or heed the warning signals before darting across the railroad tracks.
Cameron Hooyer was riding his bike along with hundreds of others as part of a weekly, informal Thursday night meetup, dubbed the 999 Ride. About 11:15 p.m., about two hours after the July 19 ride began, the riders arrived at the railroad crossing at 900 South and 600 West.
Video released by Utah Transit Authority on Thursday shows dozens of bikers entering the tracks in the moments after a freight train passed, while the crossing arms are down and lights are still flashing. The arms rise as the lights continue to flash. About 15 seconds after the lights stop, they signal again, and a flood of cyclists rushes through before the crossing arms lower, about 5 seconds later.
About a half-dozen cyclists dash through once the arms are down — with one pedaling forward onto the tracks before turning back around — before Hooyer can be seen approaching the tracks near the top, left side of the video. He doesn’t appear to slow down, and he attempts to cross the intersection about 20 seconds after the warning signals began.
The video stops just before Hooyer is hit as the train comes into the frame.
“In my mind, it conclusively shows what happened that night that led to an unnecessary tragedy,” said Carl Arky, UTA spokesman.
Arky has previously said the train operator gave ample warning, by sounding the train’s horn and triggering the lights and arms, entering the intersection. But controversy arose soon after the crash when cyclists cast doubt on UTA’s characterization of the collision and how soon the train followed after warning signals began.
In addition, while Arky has said the train was traveling 45 mph; some cyclists said it appeared to be going much faster.
At a memorial ride for Hooyer on Saturday, his parents told reporters their son was a safe rider and questioned reports of him trying to beat the train. They declined a request for comment from The Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday.
