Father of two killed when he struck moving train

BURLINGTON, Wash. — A family is searching for answers after a Burlington man hit a moving train. What started as a traffic stop turned tragic when the father of two died in the crash.

That crash happened just after 5 p.m. Friday on State Route 20 at Garrett Road near Burlington.

His family says they want people to know he was a great guy, a devoted family man. They are as puzzled as anyone else. They know a deputy was trying to pull him over Friday night. Instead he ended up on the tracks.

“These are the two beautiful ones he left behind,” said Alyssia Brock.

It was a heartbreaking sight: two young children in the tight embrace of their grieving mother, who will never know their father.

“Daddy was in heaven,” said 3-year-old Aunalee Brock.

Thirty-six-year-old Christopher Brock was just a few blocks from home when a Skagit County deputy tried to pull him over Friday night for traffic violations.

Instead, investigators say Brock turned onto Garrett Road from State Route 20, into the path of a moving train. The train dragged him and his vehicle for about a mile before it came to a stop, then burst into flames. Brock was killed at the site of the crash.

“He’s just my best friend, my other half,” said his sister, Sarah Snyder, her voice breaking. “We were inseparable.”

His mother is grieving, too. “This is unreal,” said Julie Stemme. “Just want it to not be true.”

And his wife, her eyes red from her tears, is trying to adjust to their new reality. Alyssia Brock says she knows there will be questions about the way her husband died, that is why she agreed to talk publicly.

“Because I want the world to know that he wasn’t a bad guy even though everyone had their issues,” she said. “And we had issues. But the ultimate thing is we always worked it out with each other. We always loved each other.”

“He was such a good dad,” his mother said. “Those kids loved him.”

“And I just want his kids to be able to know that he was a great guy and remember him the best way possible,” said Alyssia Brock.

Christopher Brock was a husband and father, son and brother who will be sorely missed.

His wife says he was a manager at Fred Meyer.

The accident is being investigated by the Washington State Patrol. Brock’s car was the only vehicle involved.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Christopher Brock’s family.

© 2019 Cox Media Group