Man struck, killed by Amtrak train while sleeping by tracks, deputies say

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A man asleep on the side of train tracks near DeLeon Springs was struck and killed by an Amtrak train carrying 500 people Sunday evening, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office said Matthew Bryan Owens, 55, was fatally hit south of Dawson Brown Road and US-17 around 6:20 p.m.

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Deputies said Owens was walking north along the tracks with his girlfriend when he stopped to take a break, falling asleep against the tracks. The sheriff’s office said deputies reviewed video that showed the man sleeping and failing to respond to the train horn before being struck.

Sheriff’s officials determined Owens had no signs of impairment and there were no suspicious circumstances leading up the crash.

The train was cleared from the crash scene around 11 p.m.