Man Fatally Injured after SunRail Train Collision

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on August 15, 2018

Officials with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are currently investigating the death of a man who was struck by a SunRail train in Orlando this past Wednesday, August 8th. Early reports on the incident include statements from officials working with the Florida Department of Transportation as well as members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident took place close to 2:30 in the afternoon, along a location of the SunRail line that runs parallel to Stratemeyer Drive and lies just north of the SunRail station on Sand Lake Road. At this time, an unnamed man presumed to be in his 50s was walking in a southerly direction down the SunRail tracks when the train approached. It was not clear from initial reports if the train was also headed in a northerly direction or if the train and the man were walking opposite one another.

The train’s engineer saw the man walking along the tracks and reportedly sounded the train’s very loud horn numerous times in an attempt to get this individuals attention. The efforts of the engineer proved futile, however, and the SunRail train collided with the man regardless.

While the first responders — including members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and emergency medical responders from around the county — tended to the fatally wounded man and the surrounding area, the train and all subsequent trains scheduled to pass through the area were delayed. Several of these trains were subsequently cancelled.

As the initial investigation was underway, a bus bridge was created to take stranded passengers from the Sand Lake station and the Orlando Health station. The route that the buses took allowed people to make their way down the same route that the train would have transported them down and enabled people to continue their day despite the fatal incident that was being investigated along the SunRail tracks.

It is not believed that the person struck by the train was alive when the first responders reached them. Reports also indicated that none of the 110 people on the train at the time of the incident were injured or in any way physically harmed by the collision between the train and the pedestrian.

Orange County Sheriff’s Office statements indicated that, at the time of this writing, foul play is not suspected.

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.