Law enforcement officials are investigating an Independence Day train accident that killed one man in Lamar County.
Sheriff Danny Rigel said police received a call at 6:50 p.m. on July 4 of a white male being struck by a southbound Amtrak train on the tracks 1.1 mile west of Tatum Camp Road. The 42-year-old man, who died at the scene, had an Oklahoma ID. The coroner’s office is attempting to contact someone at the man's last known address in Oklahoma City.
“We don’t know why he didn’t get off the tracks; the engineer said he blew the horn and hit him,” Rigel said. “The Amtrak police are working it, along with the investigators from the sheriff’s office, but right now there’s no suspicion of any foul play or anything.
“It was just an accident, and we’re trying to figure out who he is.”
Officials were able to get a tentative identification on the man, but that evidence is as of yet insufficient to produce a positive ID.
“I don’t want to say what his name is, in case it’s not him or something,” Rigel said. “He’s got some relatives that we’re trying to track down for a positive ID."
