Man wearing earbuds killed by passenger train in South Mississippi, sheriff says

A man was walking beside railroad tracks south of Picayune while listening to music with earphones when he was struck and killed by an Amtrak passenger train Monday morning, Pearl River County officials said.

Coroner Derek Turnage identified the man as 20-year-old Colton Hall, who lived in the Nicholson community just south of Picayune. He was struck by a northbound Amtrak on Cliff Mitchell Road just south of Jackson Landing.

His family said he often listened to music through earphones, Turnage said.

“There is no indication he heard the train coming and no indication he intended to harm himself,” Turnage said.

Engineers from a northbound Amtrak said Hall wasn’t on the steel rail but was in the train’s path, he said.

“He was not on the tracks, but was walking beside the tracks, too close to the train,” Allison said. “A part of the train hit him.”

The area is just west of Mississippi 11.

Passengers on the train were required to stay on the train until the body was recovered and the initial investigation was completed, Allison said. No other injuries were reported.

“I’d like to remind everybody that railroad tracks and the grounds they sit on are not public property,” he said.

It’s not unusual for “kids” and others to walk and play along the tracks, Alison added.

“I just want to remind everybody so this kind of accident won’t happen again.”

The coroner said it’s become common practice for people to walk not only on the steel rails but also beside the tracks, and it’s illegal.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a number of deaths there in recent years,” Turnage said.

This story was originally published July 30, 2018 at 1:25 PM.