The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

A 41 year old female and her dog were struck and killed by a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) freight train near Lodge Pole Creek, just east of Chinook.

A press release by the Blaine County Sheriff’s Department states that at 4:48 the afternoon of Saturday, November 14 that they had received a call from BNSF of a train vs. pedestrian accident. The press release goes on to say that at approximately the same time Dispatch received a 911 call from a male stating that his wife had been struck by the train.

Blaine County Sheriff Deputies were immediately dispatched to the scene and were the first on sight. A Blaine County Sheriff’s Deputy located the female and her dog under the train. The Deputy immediately notified Dispatch to send the Coroner to the scene.

The press release states that the 41 year old female and her dog had been killed by the train. The Chinook Volunteer Fire Department, Ambulance crew and Sheriff deputies removed the body from the scene and transported the deceased to Wilderness Funeral Home in Chinook.

In a statement given to the Blaine County Sheriff’s Deputy the husband of the victim states that his wife had left the vehicle, along with the dog to take pictures of a pheasant they had seen and that she was training the dog to retrieve the scent near the area the pheasant had been. Approaching was a west bound train that the women appeared to have not heard or seen and as such was struck by the train.

Assisting at the scene were the Blaine County Sheriff Office, Blaine County Fire and Ambulance, Montana Highway Patrol, Chinook Police Department, and BNSF Police. An investigation is being conducted by the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office along with BNSF Police. The victim has been identified as 41-year old Irina Smith of Butte, Montana.