A man was killed Wednesday afternoon, November 4, after he was struck by a CSX train while walking on the railroad tracks in Delaware, according to the Delaware Police Department. The Columbus Dispatch reported that officers responded at about 3:14 p.m. to the CSX crossing near West William Street, which is also U.S. 36, and Toledo Street on a report of a pedestrian struck by a train.
Officers arrived to find the adult male pedestrian deceased and the train stopped on the tracks, police told The Columbus Dispatch. The man has not been identified, with police withholding his name pending notification of his family.
Delaware Source reported the same preliminary finding from Delaware police: the man was walking southbound on the railroad tracks immediately before he was struck by a southbound train. No information has been released about why the man was on the tracks.
With the train still stopped at the scene, the railroad crossings at West William Street and Park Avenue were blocked and were expected to remain closed for several hours while investigators processed the scene, both The Columbus Dispatch and Delaware Source reported. Police urged motorists to seek alternate routes and avoid the area. Delaware Source, citing Drive Delaware, reported detours for U.S. 36 traffic — eastbound via Curtis Street, London Road and Sandusky Street, and westbound via Liberty Street, London Road, Pittsburgh Drive and Houk Road.
CSX said no one on the train crew was injured. In a statement given to Delaware Source at 5:46 p.m., CSX Media Relations Manager Jonathan Stuckey told Delaware Source that first responders were immediately notified of the incident, and added, “CSX extends its deepest sympathies to everyone impacted by this tragic incident and will continue to support local law enforcement as they complete the investigation.”
The Delaware Police Department is investigating along with CSX Transportation and the Delaware County Coroner’s Office, according to both outlets. The crossings will reopen once the stopped train is moved and investigators clear the scene, and the man’s identity is expected to be released after his family is notified.
Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0 — a CSX freight train in Ohio (file photo).