Wheelchair malfunction on Puyallup train tracks may have caused man’s death

One of the Good Samaritans who tried to rescue a man from a wheelchair at a Puyallup railroad crossing last month is providing new clues about why the wheelchair may have stopped.

On Oct. 21, 59-year-old Richie Geiger was hit by a train and killed. Loved ones believed his wheelchair became stuck while he was trying to cross the tracks.

Diane Drapac told KIRO 7 she saw Richie’s wheelchair “jerking forward” instead of rolling smoothly. She alerted her husband, who, along with another man, attempted to push Geiger out of the way as a train approached.

Joe Drapac says the heavy motorized vehicle wouldn’t budge.

“I found out from [Geiger’s] brother-in-law that they had had problems with [the wheelchair], just stopping operating,” he told KIRO7.

“I was able to pull it about three inches, maybe four inches.” He tried to unbuckle Geiger from the chair, but the two Good Samaritans ran out of time as the train came.

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Puyallup police say surveillance video did show Geiger’s wheelchair starting and stopping intermittently, evidence of the mechanical problem the Drapacs described.

“Based on the video evidence, it does not appear that the wheels were stuck or hung up on any portion of the tracks,” Capt. Jeremy Hedrick said in a statement to KIRO 7.

“We have concluded our criminal investigation,” Hedrick said, calling it a “tragic accident.”

But as passenger and freight trains roared through the crossing at South Meridian Avenue all day Wednesday, people nearby raised safety concerns.

“Well, just now – I’ve just been crossing right now – and it is kind of scary with the speed that it flies by,” said Paul Shutov

“They seem to go faster than they should, through town,” Justin Peyton added. “And there’s a lot of pedestrians every single day crossing right here.”

People suggested reducing speeds through town, putting flexible material in the gaps to “fill” them when the trains aren’t crossing, or building a pedestrian overpass.

Drapac suggested the crossings should be made smoother.

In a statement to KIRO 7, the railroad said, “BNSF has been working with the city on potential modifications to the crossing and is currently awaiting completion of the city’s design.”

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