The name of the pedestrian who was fatally struck by an Amtrak train on Sunday night was released Thursday. Kimberly K. Denning, 54, is thought to have been struck near the pedestrian crossing on South Bay Trail at Boulevard Park, Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy said.
An Amtrak engineer saw Denning on the tracks shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday and attempted an emergency stop but could not come to a full stop before colliding with her, according to the police investigation. Denning’s body was located on the east side of the tracks.
Denning was a paraeducator at Northern Heights Elementary School (NHES), said Dana Smith, assistant director of communications at Bellingham Public Schools.
She was known as Ms. Kim, and joined the elementary school staff in 2017, according to a letter sent on Tuesday to NHES families by Principal Pam Pottle, who was not immediately available for comment.
“[She] loved working with children and loved working in our school. She will be greatly missed,” the letter stated.
Teachers at NHES read a statement to students on Tuesday, and Bellingham Public Schools’ mobile response team and additional counselors were on campus to support students and staff.
“Children (like all of us) deal with death in a variety of ways depending on their relationship to Ms. Kim,” the letter stated. “Sometimes such an incident in our community can resurface grief from an earlier traumatic event. There is no one ‘right’ way to feel or act.”
Services had not been set as of Tuesday’s letter.
Cascadia Daily News will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
