A 24-year-old Taylorsville man wearing headphones walked into the path of a TRAX train Thursday afternoon and was critically injured.

Midvale police Capt. Steve Shreeve said Mitchall Wilkey had just gotten off a bus at the Fort Union station when he walked out in front of the train and was hit. Wilkey was thrown about 10 feet. He hit a fence and suffered head injuries. He was taken to Intermountain Medical Center in critical condition.

The collision occurred just after 5 p.m. at 7200 South and 235 West. About 30 passengers were on the train.

"It just happened so quickly," Shreeve said.

It appears the man was distracted by his headphones, Shreeve said. The train was moving between 5 and 10 mph when it struck Wilkey.

Police investigated the crash for over two hours before reopening the northbound section of track. Trains on the southbound track remained operational during the investigation and shuttled passenger in both directions. Buses were also used.

Jason Bergreen