Woman dies after fall from handcar during annual Wilkeson races

A woman died after she fell off the railroad handcar she was racing Saturday during the annual Wilkeson Days festival.

She was identified as 47-year-old Charity Lisherness, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office said Sunday.

“It sounds like she fell backward off the handcar and immediately got ran over,” Buckley Police Chief Jim Arsanto said. He believes she’s from Aberdeen.

The accident happened about 2 p.m. Lisherness was taken about 400 yards to Wilkeson Elementary School at 640 Railroad Ave., and airlifted from there to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she later died from her injuries.

Teams of two or four pump the arm of the handcar to propel themselves forward during the races, Arsanto said.

Lisherness was reportedly on the side of the car where her back was facing the finish line. It wasn’t clear if she was with one or three other people on the platform.

This is the 40th year the Wilkeson National Handcar Races have been held.

This story was originally published July 19, 2015 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Woman dies after fall from handcar during annual Wilkeson races."