A 30 year-old man was seriously injured after being struck by a train in the Bonner-Milltown area on Thursday afternoon.

Captain Bill Burt with the Missoula County Sheriff's Office said two men were walking on either side of the railroad tracks near the Town Pump in Bonner when the accident occurred.

"An eastbound train was approaching while the two men were on either side of the tracks," Burt said. "The man on the right side got out of the way of the train, while the man on the left apparently ignored the train until just before it arrived. At the last moment, he tried to cross the racks in front of the train and was struck as it passed by at approximately 50 miles per hour."

Burt said the train's engineer saw what happened and stopped the train.

"The engineer saw the man and realized the train had hit him, and it took nearly a half-mile for him to stop the train," Burt said. "Deputy Garret Van Hoose arrived within five minutes of the accident. He said the man suffered a badly broken arm and internal injuries. The man was alert and talking with deputies when emergency medical crews arrived. He was taken to St. Patrick Hospital for treatment. His current condition is unknown."

Burt took the opportunity to say that railroad tracks are private property and no trespassing is allowed.

"Walking along on on railroad tracks is illegal," he said. "The individual who escaped injury was cited for trespassing, and the victim will also be cited when he recovers from his injuries."

The incident occurred at approximately 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.

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