Union Pacific train hits, injures man in West Bountiful

WEST BOUNTIFUL — An apparently intoxicated man was hit by a Union Pacific train Thursday morning.

The accident happened shortly after 6 a.m. near 400 North and 640 West in West Bountiful. Brayden Johnson, 20, of Bountiful, was conscious and talking with emergency personnel before he was taken by ambulance to Intermountain Medical Center.

"It appears he was clipped more than actually hit full on," said West Bountiful Police Chief Todd Hixson.

Still, detectives believe the man ended up 600 feet down the track from the point of impact.

"We can't tell if he was dragged yet, or he was hit and moved down," Hixson said.

About an hour before the accident, Hixson said his office received a report of a man staggering down the middle of the street. Officers were not able to find that man, but believe the same man was the victim in the train accident.

"It appears from the description so far, it is the same individual. We do believe alcohol is involved," he said. " It has not been determined why Johnson was on the tracks."

The accident briefly affected FrontRunner service. Utah Transit Authority officials set up a bus bridge between the Farmington and Woods Cross stations. Just before 7 a.m., UTA announced on Twitter that the accident had been cleared and regular FrontRunner service resumed immediately.

— Pat Reavy

Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam