A 36-year-old Kissimmee man was killed Tuesday afternoon when his pickup truck was struck by a cargo train while he was crossing a railroad track in the Kathleen area.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Abel Arocho, 36, was driving a 2006 black Ford F-150 south on Kathleen Road when he turned right to go to the Kathleen Tire Shop at 5310 Kathleen Road.
The private railroad crossing there, just west of the road, has no crossing arms, but there is a stop sign and a sign regarding the crossing itself. The Sheriff’s Office said Arocho did not stop but continued across the tracks as a CSX freight train carrying 110 empty cars was heading north at about 55 mph.
The train struck the pickup on the driver’s side, propelling the truck northwest and ripping open the driver’s door. Arocho was ejected onto a grassy area and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The train was traveling from Orlando to Jacksonville. After coming to a stop, it blocked four railroad crossings from Deeson Road south to Strickland Road for about 2.5 hours.