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UPDATE: Pedestrian hit by train in northeast Salem in “serious” condition, identified by police

The Salem Police Department said in a tweet just after 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, 2022, that a train had collided with a pedestrian at the Silverton Road Northeast railroad crossing. (Courtesy/Marion Polk Crime, Traffic and Severe Weather Alerts)

A train hit a pedestrian at the Silverton Road Northeast railroad crossing Tuesday night, hospitalizing the pedestrian and shutting down the area for about two hours, Salem police said Wednesday.

Salem Police Department spokeswoman Angela Hedrick identified the pedestrian as 27-year-old Rueben Garibay, of Salem.

The department received a call at 5:41 p.m. Tuesday reporting the crash, Hedrick said.

Officers found the person was conscious with injuries and paramedics transported them to Salem Hospital.

Garibay was in serious condition as of Wednesday afternoon, meaning vital signs may be unstable or outside limits, and that the patient is acutely ill or injured and may have major complications, said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Wood.

The train’s engineer saw the person walking on the tracks but was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting them, she said. The byway is Union Pacific Rail property.

In a tweet just after 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Salem Police Department said the railroad crossing was “blocked due to a train vs pedestrian collision.”

Police asked drivers to find an alternative route and avoid the area since it would be closed for police and railroad responders to investigate the scene.

The train was released around 7:40 p.m. “But it was a long freight train. It likely took a while for it to completely clear past Silverton Road,” Hedrick said.

This story was updated Wednesday afternoon after the Salem Police Department identified the pedestrian and Salem Hospital provided an update on his condition.

-Ardeshir Tabrizian