Author: Angela Woolsey

Three people were killed last night (Wednesday) after being hit by a cargo train near Lake Accotink, police say.

Two adults and a child appear to have been walking on the train tracks above Accotink Creek near the Accotink Park Road crossing, according to the police and the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company, which operates the tracks.

“All were declared deceased on scene,” the Fairfax County Police Department said.

A Norfolk Southern spokesperson confirmed that a crash involving a northbound train occurred around 8:20 p.m. yesterday on the bridge over Accotink Creek. There were no reported injuries to the train crew, they told FFXnow.

Per scanner traffic on Open MHz, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units were dispatched for a “medical emergency” on the train tracks at 8:25 p.m. By 8:38 p.m., responders reported that they had located all three victims on the creek banks under the railroad bridge.

The train tracks were shut down by Norfolk Southern, a dispatcher said at 8:38 p.m.

The FCPD initially described the victims as one adult and two children, but after further investigation, officers and detectives have identified the victims as 28-year-old Annandale resident Diego Arriaza, 28-year-old Lincolnia resident Yeraldin Pardo, and Pardo’s 8-year-old child.

Police believe the three people were walking on the northbound elevated train tracks when they “encountered a travelling freight train.”

“Detectives believe Arriaza was struck by the train, and Pardo and the child fell from the bridge,” the FCPD said.

Based on a preliminary investigation, police don’t believe speed or alcohol factored into the crash for the train engineer, but detectives are still determining whether alcohol may have been “a factor” for the pedestrians.

Norfolk Southern operates about 19,500 miles of cargo railroads in the eastern U.S. that transport fuel, agriculture, construction equipment, and other goods. In April, the company reached a $600 million settlement with residents affected by a toxic chemical spill that resulted from a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023.

Screenshot via Google Maps