Update: Man Killed by Train from Powder Springs

Updated Saturday

Douglas County Coroner Randy Daniel identified the man who was killed by a train in Lithia Springs on Friday as Robert Willkens, 35, the Douglas County Sentinel reports.

Willkens' body was transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy to try to determine why he was lying on the tracks when he was struck about 5:30 a.m., according to the Sentinel.

Reported Friday

A man who was lying on railroad tracks near Lithia Springs was killed about 5:30 this morning when he was struck by a train.

The conductor saw the man just before impact and didn’t have time to stop, Douglas County Chief Deputy Stan Copeland said.

“The remains were severally injured, but we’ve seen much worse,” he said.

Investigators are trying to determine why he was on the tracks near Harper Road between Ben Hill Road and U.S. 78, he said, adding that authorities are trying to locate the man’s next of kin. 

The body will be examined for drugs, alcohol or prior injuries, Copeland said. If he was previously injured, he added, the sheriff’s office could possibly treat this as a criminal case.

With Norfolk Southern having a track system that runs the length of Douglas County, Copeland said the department “occasionally” has to respond to people being hit by trains.

“They’re not regular,” he said. “These are very unusual—it usually involves someone who is intoxicated to the point where they pass out. It’s kind of hard for a train to sneak up on you.”

If the person is fully on the tracks, Copeland said, the impact is almost always fatal. But sometimes, he explained, people are injured by a “glancing blow.”