Police investigate fatal incident involving freight train in Old Orchard Beach
Oct. 16—OLD ORCHARD BEACH — One person died and another was seriously injured when they were hit by a freight train near the Old Orchard Beach train station Wednesday morning.
The incident happened at about 11 a.m. near the Amtrak platform on First Street in downtown Old Orchard Beach.
One pedestrian was fatally injured and another was taken to the hospital with injuries after they were hit by a train owned by CSX Transportation, company spokesperson Austin Staton said. A third person was treated at the scene by first responders, he said.
"CSX extends its deepest sympathies to everyone impacted by this tragedy, and we will work on scene to support local law enforcement as they continue to investigate," Staton said.
Old Orchard Beach police officers and fire-rescue units were dispatched to the area at just after 10:50 a.m., Deputy Chief David Hemingway said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
Police determined that two men had been hit by the train, one of whom was declared dead at the scene. Authorities transported the injured man to Maine Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition, Hemingway said. Two other men were present, but they were not injured, he said.
Hemingway did not identify any of the men involved.
"Upon further investigation it was determined the males were sitting on the train platform prior to being struck by the train," Hemingway said in the statement. "Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the incident."
The Amtrak Downeaster uses the same track and two of its passenger trains were delayed because of the incident.
Police taped off the area near the train station at 11 First St. around midday Wednesday. The freight train remained in the crossing, and the area, including several crossings, remained closed for several hours. The crossing guard bell rang continuously around 1:30 p.m.
Shortly afterward, police peered underneath the halted CSX engine, near the parking lot of Johnny Shucks Maine Lobster, and appeared to inspect its wheels.
Workers at Lisa's Pizza, catty-corner from the railroad crossing, said the train stopped sometime before 11 a.m. Around 2:10 p.m., a handful of police officers stood behind the building that houses the Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce, where they appeared to look at something on the ground. The group was partly obscured by a tarp draped over a barricade.
A handful vehicles marked with CSX Transportation logos sat parked in front of the station and a worker spoke with police officers.
A coroner arrived in a minivan around 2:20 p.m. A pair of officers adjusted the tarp, moving it a few steps closer to the tracks, before officers carried away what appeared to be a black body bag. They placed it into a rolling stretcher, covered it with a blanket and rolled it into the vehicle's open cargo area.
The train sounded its whistle and continued north on the tracks a short time later. All roads were reopened and an Amtrak train passed through the station just before 3 p.m.
Maine State Police detectives responded to the scene to assist, but a Maine Department of Public Safety referred all questions to Old Orchard Beach police.
Faruk Kunt, manager of the Mount Royal Motel, which is just across the tracks from the train platform, said he woke up around 11 a.m. to see the freight train already stopped.
From the second-floor window, he said he could see one body that lay next to the tracks and watched police cover it with a white sheet.
"It was really not a good morning, to be honest," Kunt said.
Staton, the CSX spokesperson, said the incident is "an unfortunate reminder that rail safety is critically important" and that pedestrians should always follow the warnings and signs posted at train platforms.
Passengers on the delayed Amtrak trains were bused to Portland and Saco to connect with other trains, an Amtrak spokesman said.
Copy the Story Link
