A man was hit and killed by a CSX train on July 4. The crash has been ruled accidental.

Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner
·2 min read
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Ocala police officials have closed the case on a man hit and killed by a CSX train several weeks ago.

Detective Austin Ridge said in his report there was no foul play or any indication of suicide. The man's death was ruled accidental.

Officers have identified the victim as Robert Counts. The deceased was 48 and a transient in the community, according to Ridge's report.

Witnesses interviewed

Counts died on July 4 in the 500 block of Northwest Second Street, across the street from Parkside Gardens Apartments.

Officers spoke with a witness who said he was in his car, which was stopped at the railroad crossing. The driver said he saw Counts walking westbound in the intersection as the train was approaching.

The man said it appeared Counts was getting off the tracks when, at the last minute, he ran eastbound and was hit by the train.

This was the scene of the CSX train crash that killed Robert Counts on July 4.
This was the scene of the CSX train crash that killed Robert Counts on July 4.

The train's engineer was interviewed. He said the train was southbound when he noticed Counts walking on the northbound tracks. The engineer said he honked the horn, even though that area is designated as horn-free because of the nearby residences.

The engineer said that as the train got closer to Counts, it appeared Counts became startled and ran across the tracks and into the train's path.

Video shows the crash scene

Police officials were shown a video from the crash scene. Ridge's report states that the gates/lights were working as the train approached the intersection.

Counts was standing in the northbound tracks facing west. The video shows that, as the train approaches, Counts looked scared and ran eastbound, apparently trying to get to the other side of the tracks.

The detective said in his report that the actual collision was not captured on the video because of the camera angle.

Law enforcement officials said the train left Jacksonville and was on its way to Tampa. The train's length was 1,900 feet, with a majority of the cars empty.

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: No foul play suspected in man hit and killed by CSX train in Ocala