A woman attempting to cross the railroad tracks in her motorized wheelchair was struck and killed by a freight train early this morning (Friday). The accident was reported at 12:37am in Downtown Kenly.
Kenly Police confirmed the female victim was crossing the tracks when a northbound CSX train struck and killed her. The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of her next of kin.
Friends of the deceased woman began gathering next to the accident scene shortly after the mishap. “I had just told her that she needed to get home because her batteries were going dead (in her motorized wheelchair),” one person said. It appears the battery powered wheelchair stalled on the tracks and the victim was unable to get to safety before being struck.
The train,which was traveling from Florence, SC to Richmond, VA, blocked all Kenly crossings for about 2-1/2 hours until police could investigate the accident.
According to Johnston County Medical Examiner Jason Thompson the 40 year-old victim died from multiple blunt force injuries. Her death was ruled an accident.
Photos by John Payne
