Family mourns death of Michael Wright, cyclist struck by TRAX train

SANDY — Michael "Cody" Wright was trying to turn over a new leaf when tragedy struck Thursday.

The 32-year-old man was crossing TRAX lines near 9000 South on a bicycle when he was struck by a northbound train just before 8:30 a.m. Wright, who is from Salt Lake County, was en route to a nearby hospital when he died.

For family members, the greatest misfortune is that Wright had been trying to turn his life around to be a better dad to his 9-year-old son.

"He had been into drugs and going through a rough patch for the last two years," his sister, Katrina Wright, told the Deseret News Thursday night. "But he was starting to get into counseling. He was doing it for his son, Dylan. He wanted to get his son back and raise him. He wanted to show his son he was a good dad."

Officials on the scene Thursday said the train had been approaching the 9000 South TRAX station and already slowed to between 25 mph and 30 mph, said Sandy Police Lt. Troy Arnold. About 100 yards away from the platform is a crosswalk that leads from the parking lot to a neighborhood.

The TRAX conductor said he could see the accident unfolding and sounded his horn several times, Arnold said. Investigators believe the cyclist may have been wearing headphones and listening to an iPod or MP3 player at the time.

Katrina Wright said her brother was probably listening to Queen and Led Zeppelin, two of his favorite "old rock legends," on his way to the Utah state court to handle some legal matters when the accident occurred.

Michael Wright, who was a plumber in search of work, had been living with his girlfriend at the time, and family said he had talked about remarrying.

Katrina Wright described her brother as a good man who strived to help everyone but "could never seem to help himself."

"My brother had gotten in with the wrong crowd as a teenager, and he just kept going," Katrina Wright said. "He has been struggling with drugs for the last 10 to 15 years, but this time he was really trying."

The last time she talked to her brother, he was saying thank you for a gift basket she had dropped off the day prior.

"He told me he loved me, and then we hung up," she said.