An investigation into the death of a pedestrian in Minneapolis has revealed students who wear headphones or earbuds while walking or running may be participating in risky behavior.

A Minneapolis woman was hit and killed by a Green Line light rail train near Westgate Station on Aug. 31. She is thought to have been wearing headphones at the time, causing concern over the safety of wearing the devices while walking.

“Headphones were found near the accident victim, but we can’t say for certain if she was wearing them at the time of the accident and, if she was, whether they were on,” John Welbes, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Council, said.

However, an investigation into the woman’s death determined that it is possible her headphones did play a role.

“As she came to this crossing that she went across, there was an audible warning going off for the train that was coming from the east – the one that was involved with the accident with her – and the investigators did say that the use of headphones may have prevented the pedestrian from hearing the audible warning,” Welbes said.

Welbes also said that while the Metro Transit does not prohibit pedestrian use of headphones, it encourages people to turn down their personal devices when approaching a station.

“It’s a shared responsibility,” Welbes said. “We provide safe crossings and warning signals, and pedestrians have to be alert to what’s going on around them.”

Howie Padilla, St. Paul Police Department Public Information coordinator, explained that there are no laws governing the pedestrians’ use of earphones. However, some organizations, such as organized marathons, have tried to address the issue.

“For some of the official races, for a while there, they were outlawed. Now I think they just discourage them. There are places out there that have certainly tried to address some of that,” Padilla said.

Sophomore Mike Fechall agreed that headphones may have contributed to the accident in Minneapolis, but he still wears earbuds while he works out and does not believe the practice is dangerous.

“I guess there’s a possibility of me getting injured if I’m walking down the street and I can’t hear a car coming or something, but I just don’t really see a possibility of that happening,” Fechall said.

Senior Vahn Brintnall said she thinks wearing headphones could potentially put people at risk.

“They could be dangerous, definitely, if there’s people calling your name, letting you know if there’s something dangerous coming, and you can’t hear them,” she said.

But the possibility of injury is not enough to keep Brintnall from wearing headphones during her commute to and from school.

According to Health Services, St. Thomas students have not experienced many injuries related to distracted walking or running. Beth Cotton, a registered nurse with Health Services, reported that no students have been treated for injuries sustained in accidents involving pedestrians wearing headphones.

Lauren Schaffran can be reached at scha7492@stthomas.edu.