Moment of silence in state Senate for staffer hit, killed by light rail train
A pedestrian was hit and killed by a light rail train in St. Paul Thursday morning, reports say.
Metro Transit spokesman Howie Padilla told the Star Tribune the victim, a woman, was crossing University Avenue when she was hit by a westbound Green Line train. It happened near Snelling Avenue and University Avenue around 7:30 a.m., the St. Paul Fire Department tweeted.
She was transported to Regions Hospital in critical condition, and was later pronounced dead, the Pioneer Press says.
Officials have not identified the victim, but state Senators have said she was Senate staffer Lynne Thomas, a legislative assistant in Senate Counsel and Research.
News of Thomas' death spread through the capitol building Thursday, with many people taking to social media to share their condolences.
She had been a Senate staffer for 28 years, reports note.
Green Line service resumed shortly after 8:30 a.m., Metro Transit tweeted. The intersection at Snelling and University is also reopened, the fire department tweeted just before 9 a.m.
Traffic was blocked in the area for about an hour as police investigated, reports note. Traffic on nearby streets and on the Green Line was delayed.
This was the second fatality involving a pedestrian on the Green Line since it opened in June 2014.
