Police identify man struck and killed by train Tuesday night
Published 9:55 am Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Salisbury Police have identified the man who was struck and killed by an Amtrak train Tuesday night as Jeffrey Wayne Hooker.
Hooker, 50, was riding his bicycle in the 300 block of 11th Street and Lexington Avenue when he went around a stationary Norfolk Southern train, but was struck by an Amtrak train traveling on another track.
The Amtrak train was traveling about 40 mph to 45 mph, said Detective Todd Sides, and Hooker was thrown about 67 feet off the side of the tracks.
Emergency personnel worked to resuscitate Hooker, but he died shortly after the accident.
The accident occurred at 7:30 p.m., but it was sometime after 9 p.m. when emergency personnel cleared the scene and allowed the trains to continue.
One witness, Willie Mitchell, told a Post reporter he was stopped at the closed railroad crossing gate when he saw Hooker, who “tried to beat” the train. Fearing that the man had become trapped underneath the train, Mitchell said he realized Hooker had been struck and thrown to the side.
Mitchell said someone in another vehicle called 911 and checked on Hooker.