A pedestrian was left in critical condition after being struck by a Union Pacific train Friday morning, the Pulaski County sheriff’s office said.
The man was walking down the center of a railroad track at 10:19 a.m. in Crystal Hill with another person when the collision occurred, Pulaski County sheriff’s office spokesman Lt. Cody Burk said.
The two were near the intersection of Kelly Road and Crystal Hill Road, authorities said. As the train approached, a Union Pacific employee blew the horn, Burk said. Both people turned around and looked in the direction of the train. The man stayed on the tracks, and the other person got off the tracks, the spokesman said. Train officials attempted to bring the locomotive to an emergency stop.
The man who was hit remained in critical condition Friday afternoon, Burk said.
Pulaski County deputies are investigating the crash and interviewing witnesses, authorities said.
— Photos by Staton Breidenthal