Man struck, killed by train in Brevard identified

2nd man rescued after jumping from tracks

MELBOURNE, Fla. – A man was killed and another escaped with his life Tuesday evening when a freight train surprised them on the trestle over Crane Creek.

[RELATED: SunRail launches safety campaign]

Police said the men encountered the train while walking on the tracks. Thomas Walter Kelly, 51, was struck and killed. The other jumped into the water below and was rescued, police said.

"It's one of those incidents where we need to stress to the community these train trestles are not places to be walking," Melbourne Police Cmdr. Dan Lynch told News 6 partner Florida Today.

A few years ago, juveniles tried to walk in the area and were killed, he added.

"It is imperative that the community understands that they cannot walk across this train trestle," said Lynch. "Once you're out on that train trestle, it is a perilous adventure. It is a misdemeanor in the state of Florida."

Melbourne Police Department's Marine Unit, Criminal Investigations Unit and Patrol Division are working the case.

"There was a horn. The train actually hit the brakes very, very hard," Lynch said. "They did everything that they could to possibly stop. However, it is a train."

Representatives from Florida East Coast Railway arrived, and the conductor was working with police to provide information.

The train was stopped for about three hours and blocked crossings from Robert J. Conlan Boulevard in Palm Bay to Palmetto Street in Melbourne.

Stay with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates on this developing story.


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