Light-rail train service on the Blue Line in Minneapolis was disrupted for about 90 minutes Thursday morning after a train struck a pedestrian at the Franklin Avenue Station.

A middle-aged woman was hit by a train approaching the station at about 8:50 a.m.

"She was hit hard, and her body went flying," said Star Tribune reporter Matt McKinney, who witnessed the incident. "She was unconscious for a minute, but then she came to."

The woman suffered what appeared to be a serious leg injury and had facial injuries.

McKinney estimated that the woman was knocked about 15 feet by the train, which also knocked off one of her shoes, which went about 50 feet.

The woman was walking across the tracks, heading east towards the bike and walking path, as the northbound train approached the station. The train was slowing down and was going perhaps 20 mph when it hit the woman, McKinney estimated.

Buses replaced trains between the 38th Street and Downtown East stations until the accident scene was cleared around 9:25 a.m.

STAFF REPORT