Father of 18-year-old killed by Amtrak train warns other teens about railway dangers

SILVANA, Wash. – A Snohomish County father shared a warning with families across our region after his teenage daughter died while trying to beat the heat with her friends.

Stephani Moser, 18, was on a train trestle but was killed when a passenger train hit her before she could get out of danger’s way.

The accident happened last weekend. Stephani was hanging out with friends and jumping off the bridge to cool off in the river.

“If I could trade positions with her, I’d do it in a heartbeat,” said Scott Moser, Stephani’s father. “Any parent that’s in this position would feel the same way.”



Stephani’s father was still reeling after she died doing something many consider a pastime – jumping off a bridge into the water to cool off.

“If I were a kid, I would want to be down here to,” he said. “Would I think of the consequences? No.”

But it isn’t just a bridge – it’s a train trestle. Signs posted around the structure are clear; trespassing is not only illegal but also dangerous.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said witnesses watched Stephani standing on the bridge when an Amtrak train rounded a corner and sounded its horn.

Stephani tried to run for safety but the train was going 60 mph. She was struck and killed along the tracks. Now her father wants the railroad to do more to keep kids safe here.

“She paid for her mistake,” he said, “But I feel like, with today’s technology, there’s things the railroad can do to be able to warn people.”

Moser put up a poster of Stephani at the scene to remind others to be careful around the trestle.

In 2015, 17-year-old Kristi Bartz was killed in the same spot doing the same thing.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe told Q13 News that 10 people in our state have been killed trespassing on their rails so far this year alone.

The company also said they can’t fence every area off so they use railroad police to patrol these areas.

People caught trespassing can face expensive fines – some start at $500.