Fatal Encounter Between Pedestrian and Train in Volusia County

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on February 10, 2020

During the morning of Monday, February 10th, a man was on foot in Oak Hill and walking close to train tracks that cut through the city. The reports that have surfaced around the incident at the time of this writing remain somewhat vague as the events that occurred are still under investigation. What we do know comes from statements that deputies working with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office made to News 6 and other reporting agencies.

According to these statements, the calls to the Sheriff’s Office began to arrive sometime close to 9:30 in the morning. It is not clear if the calls were placed by witnesses to the incident, such as the train conductor, or if they were placed by people who were inside of the train at the time of the incident and were alarmed by the sudden and unscheduled stop.

Based on what we can put together from these preliminary reports, it appears as though the pedestrian – who remains unnamed at this time, although it is not clear if they were identified by police at the scene or not – was walking close to the train or attempting to cross the tracks when the fast-moving machine approached. It is not known if the individual was aware that the train was heading towards them or if they were caught off guard as the train neared. It is also not clear if the incident took place in an area where there are pedestrian crossing zones or if the pedestrian had climbed over a fence or otherwise approached the tracks from a direction not normally meant for people on foot.

The police were called to an area close to West Brooks Circle, and when they arrived with paramedics and EMTs it is believed that the pedestrian was still alive. It is not clear if they were able to be transported from the scene of the incident to a hospital or not, but we do know that the extent of the injuries suffered by the pedestrian was ultimately beyond the scope of what emergency medical personnel could handle. The pedestrian was declared dead sometime after being struck by the train.

Data compiled by news agencies shows that this is now the 88th incident of a fatality caused by a train within Central Florida since January of 2014. Inside of Volusia County alone, this fatality is the 22nd to have taken place during this same period of time.

Sources:

• Man struck, killed by train in Volusia County

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.