Police: Shaking train threw woman onto tracks in January

DENVER – Authorities have said that a Colorado woman who lost one of her feet in a January light rail accident was thrown out of the train’s door because the train shook violently and caused the door to open.

The Denver Post reported Tuesday that a police report describes the train’s rear door coming off its rollers and opening during the Jan. 28 derailment in Aurora.

The train was travelling about 30 mph (48 kph) as it approached a 90-degree bend where the speed limit is 10 mph (16 kph).

The report says that’s when the door opened and the woman was thrown out of the train, which ran over one of her legs.

Train operator Jeremiah Hartzell was fired despite his claim that snow hindered the train’s braking ability.

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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com