Train hits, kills Fridley man sitting on the tracks in Oak Grove

The man was dead when first responders arrived at the scene.

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A 31-year-old man from Fridley is dead after being hit by a train in Oak Grove, Minnesota, early Thursday morning.

Deputies from the Anoka County Sheriff's Office received a report of a man hit by a train at 3:56 a.m. about a quarter of a mile south of 229th Ave. NW in Oak Grove.

The man was dead when deputies arrived at the scene.

Train crew informed first responders that the man was sitting on the tracks between the rails facing north, and that they couldn't stop their southbound train before hitting him.

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Minnesota State Patrol Sgt. Neil Dickerson recently wrote a blog about railroad safety, noting that it takes a train moving at 50 mph 1 1/2 miles to come to a complete stop, and that by the time a train engineer sees a person or vehicle it is often too late.

According to the Bureau of Transportation, Minnesota had 237 train accidents/incidents in the latest year of reporting (2013), including 11 fatalities and 158 injuries.