Pedestrian injured in train accident

A woman in her 40s sustained life-threatening injuries Sunday when she was struck by an Amtrak train in South Seattle.

The accident happened about 4 p.m. as the woman crossed the tracks along South Spokane Street near Second Avenue. The traffic gates were down and a southbound freight train had just passed through the intersection when the woman walked over the tracks while talking on her cellphone, said Seattle police spokesman Rich Pruitt. She was struck by the northbound train and knocked clear of the tracks.

The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center with critical injuries, he said.

Work nearly done on northbound I-405

Crews are closing in on completing work on northbound I-405 in the Totem Lake area of Kirkland, where all lanes have been closed since Friday night.

The State Department of Transportation (DOT) said it is optimistic that northbound I-405 will reopen before midmorning today rather than at 5 a.m. Tuesday as originally scheduled.

The closure was necessary for crews to lower a section of the freeway.

Traffic delays since the lanes closed have been minimal so far, thanks to drivers rescheduling their trips, taking alternative routes, riding the bus and car-pooling, according to the DOT.

Drivers are advised to check the Seattle-area traffic map at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/ for current traffic conditions.

Motorists have used a two-lane northbound bypass around the work area since the closure.

No arrests made yet in beating of officer

The beating of an off-duty Seattle police officer early Saturday remained under investigation Sunday, with no arrests made.

The officer was treated for injuries to the face and head after he was knocked from his personal motorcycle and beaten in an alley near the Pike Place Market, according to Officer Rich Pruitt, a police spokesman.

The injured officer, whose identity was not released Sunday, has been placed on administrative leave with pay.

The officer had just gotten off work at the West Precinct and was headed to Post Alley to meet friends, Pruitt said, when he was confronted by a group of people.

The officer fired up to three shots from a .40-caliber Glock, believed to be his service weapon, at his attackers and struck one man in the chest.

That man — whose name was not released Sunday — underwent surgery and remained at Harborview Medical Center.

Police have questioned about a dozen people connected with the incident, Pruitt said.

Times staff and news services