A Beaverton woman who police say was looking at her phone when a freight train hit her in 2017, causing both her legs to be amputated, is suing several railroad companies for $33.8 million.

Cindy Rodriguez, 26, filed suit April 19 against Union Pacific Railroad Company; Genesee & Wyoming, Inc.; Portland & Western Railroad, Inc.; and Willamette & Pacific Railroad, Inc., claiming negligence. The lawsuit states that the defendants ignored dangerous conditions at the Beaverton train crossing and didn’t warn the public about those conditions. It also claims train employees failed to use the train’s emergency brake when they should have seen Rodriguez coming onto the tracks.

Rodriguez is seeking relief for “physical and mental pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of her capacity to engage in her normal and usual activities apart from work,” and for medical expenses, according to court documents. She is also seeking a jury trial.

Rodriguez was run over by a train when she was crossing the tracks on foot at Southwest Farmington Road and Southwest Lombard Avenue in Beaverton on April 20, 2017. She had to have both her legs amputated, one above the knee and one below, and according to court documents, had injuries to her wrist, head, back and hand, as well as respiratory failure.

Police reports, as well as witnesses of the incident, state that Rodriguez was looking at her phone at the time of the accident and ignored several warning signs that a train was coming, including the lowered train arms blocking the tracks, and horns blaring. According to court documents, an employee of one of the train companies ran out in front of the train to warn Rodriguez, but did not apply the emergency brakes in time.

The lawsuit states that the train crossing has no pedestrian safety gates or flashing warning lights to warn or prevent anyone trying to cross the tracks when a train is coming, although there are gates to block cars from crossing the tracks. It also says that there is not a clear line of sight for pedestrians to see approaching trains, and that there are no warning signs such as horns or bells specifically for pedestrians approaching the tracks. There are bells that ring once the crossing arms have been lowered for a train, but the lawsuit says that the train crossing has a lot of ambient and background noise because the area has a lot of car traffic.

The Oregonian attempted to reach Portland and Western and Union Pacific for comment, but neither responded.

Rodriguez is represented by Pickett Dummigan McCall, one of the law firms that represented Andrea Laing, who in February was awarded $15 million after her right leg was severed in 2015 when she ran across a track and was hit by a MAX train.

--Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR