Becki Townsend Gun killed by a train near Clarence Park Train Station in Black Forest, Adelaide

Local hero killed after being struck down ‘running onto the train tracks to rescue her dog’ is remembered for her kindness

  • 63-year-old retiree Becki Townsend Gun was hit and killed by an train on Tuesday
  • She was struck at about 1pm near Clarence Park Train Station, central Adelaide
  • Ms Townsend Gun was a beloved member of her community and has a mural
  • It’s believed she went onto the tracks to save her dog, an elk hound named Floyd

The 63-year-old woman who was struck and killed by a train has been identified as a local hero that neighbours loved so much they painted her on a power pole.

Becki Townsend Gun was hit by a train near Clarence Park Train Station in the Black Forest, central Adelaide, just before 1 pm on Tuesday.

Ms Townsend Gun was known to walk across the track’s pedestrian crossing twice a day to take each of her dogs for a separate walk.

63-year-old Becki Townsend Gun (above) was hit and killed by an Adelaide train on Tuesday 

It’s believed she went onto the tracks to try and rescue her dog, an elk hound named Floyd, when they were struck.

Both Ms Townsend Gun and her dog died at the scene.

The collision was just metres from Ms Townsend Gun’s home and some of her beloved neighbours witnessed the tragic crash.

Neighbour and friend Annie Wawryk said Ms Townsend Gun was a retiree and much-loved member of the Clarence Park community.

The train struck Ms Townsend Gun near Clarence Park Train Station in Black Forest, it is believed she went onto the tracks to rescue her dog

The train struck Ms Townsend Gun near Clarence Park Train Station in Black Forest, it is believed she went onto the tracks to rescue her dog

‘She was very close to all the neighbours. She was a really lovely person and she really cared about other people,’ she told Seven News.

‘She was loved on the street. She was really outgoing and gregarious. She would chat to everyone.’ 

One of the ways Ms Townsend Gun would help out was by staying with a neighbour with dementia so his wife could duck out to buy groceries.

Neighbours painted Ms Townsend Gun’s portrait on a power pole two years ago to thank her for her kindness. She is pictured with one of her two dogs.

Locals painted Ms Townsend Gun a power pole mural (above) two years ago to thank her for her kindness, she is pictured with one of her two dogs

Locals painted Ms Townsend Gun a power pole mural (above) two years ago to thank her for her kindness, she is pictured with one of her two dogs

Ms Wawryk said the community is ‘devastated’ by Ms Townsend Gun’s death.

‘It just seemed so unfair that she’d go this way,’ she said. 

Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash.

Passengers on the train said they heard the conductor honking as they travelled towards Ms Townsend Gun and her dog, followed by two bumps as the train hit them.

Police are still investigating the train collision that killed Ms Townsend Park (pictured, emergency services at the scene)

Police are still investigating the train collision that killed Ms Townsend Park (pictured, emergency services at the scene)

The Seaford and Flinders train lines were closed while emergency services worked at the scene and the people inside the train were required to stay onboard for about an hour.

Buses and taxis were then sent to collect the shaken passengers.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said an investigation will decide whether Ms Townsend Gun’s death was preventable.

‘Whenever there is an accident of this nature, the circumstances of it will be closely examined to work out if anything can be done in the future to prevent it, that is reasonable,’ he said on Wednesday.

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