Man sleeping on railroad tracks is killed by passing Amtrak train, Florida officials say

A 55-year-old man who was sleeping on the side of the railroad tracks near DeLeon Springs, Florida, was struck and killed by a passing Amtrak train, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

First responders pronounced Matthew Bryan Owens dead on scene the evening of Sunday, May 8, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office. DeLeon Springs is about 46 miles north of Orlando.

Investigators found that Owens had been walking on the tracks with his girlfriend “when he stopped to take a break while she continued north to a meeting place,” the statement says.

Video footage from the train shows Owens lying against the tracks and not responding to the train’s horn before it strikes him, according to the sheriff’s office.

An Amtrak spokeswoman wrote in an email to McClatchy News that none of the 240 passengers and crew members on board the train were injured.

“Amtrak is working with Volusia County Sheriff Office to investigate the incident,” she wrote.

The train was cleared from the scene at around 11 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.

“There were no suspicious circumstances or signs of impairment observed during the initial investigation,” the sheriff’s office statement says.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, about 400 people are killed each year trespassing on railroad tracks.

It is illegal to walk or drive on railroad property except at designated crossings, according to the agency.

“Trespassing along railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America, and railroad crossing incidents are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in America,” the Amtrak spokeswoman wrote.

This story was originally published May 9, 2022 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Man sleeping on railroad tracks is killed by passing Amtrak train, Florida officials say."