Boy Dies After Being Hit By Train In North Tulsa

Tulsa Police say a 12-year-old boy who was hit by a train in the 2200 block of North Lewis Thursday morning has died.

Police identify him as Richard Brown. 

Police say that at about 7:50 a.m. the victim and his brother were crossing the train tracks when the victim slipped and was unable to get up in time to avoid being struck by the train.

Tulsa Police say pedestrians often use the location to cross not only the train tracks but also Highway 75. 

Tulsa Public Schools says Brown was a 7th grader at McLain Junior High.  The district released the following statement about his death:

"Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this young man and the students at McLain as they struggle to come to terms with this terrible loss. We will have grief counselors on hand today to help our students and staff at McLain, and will do everything we can to be of help to them."

The district says the boy's assigned bus stop was located at East Woodrow Place and Harvard Avenue.  The district says it was told he was walking to a different bus stop when the accident happened.

The statement says faculty and staff routinely lecture students on the danger of crossing or playing in drainage ditches, flood control areas, under-road culverts, railroad tracks and at busy streets where they do not recognize the risks.

The district says it will be reviewing all bus routes to ensure it's keeping students as safe as possible. 

The engineer on the South Kansas and Oklahoma freight train called 911 shortly before 8 a.m. to report that he thought the train had hit something.

Rescue crews had to access the area via U.S. Highway 75 to get the boy into an EMSA ambulance.

Tulsa Police reduced traffic on Highway 75 to one northbound lane at the incident location.

The police department says practice of crossing the railroad tracks at this location is dangerous and is discouraging pedestrians from doing so.