Man struck and killed by CSX freight train in NE Ocala
A 33-year-old man was hit and killed by a CSX freight train on Thursday afternoon in northeast Ocala.
Ocala police on scene said the train was eastbound when a man came out of the woods and lay down on the tracks. Train operators said they tried stopping but could not do so in time.
An investigation is underway.
The crash occurred at Northeast 19th Avenue and Northeast 20th Street. Police said the call came in at 12:33 p.m. and the man was pronounced deceased at 12:42 p.m.
Police said the train had 162 cars and was traveling from Jacksonville to Lakeland. The loads included rocks and hazardous waste.
Officers have identified the deceased as John Andrew Anderson of Ocala.
July 4 tragedy
On July 4, Ocala police officers were called after a CSX train hit a man by Parkside Gardens Apartments.
Law enforcement officials ruled the victim's death as accidental. He was identified as 48-year-old Robert Counts, who officials said was homeless.
Report: A man was hit and killed by a CSX train on July 4. The crash has been ruled accidental.
According to Operation Lifesaver, an organization that tracks train deaths and injuries, Florida ranked fourth, behind Texas, California and Illinois, in the number of train collisions, deaths and injuries in 2022. Florida had 21 deaths and 51 injuries.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: A train hit and killed a man in NE Ocala; an investigation underway
