SHARPSBURG -- A man was hit and killed by a train Friday afternoon while walking along the railroad tracks near Md. 34, authorities said.
The Washington County Sheriff's Department said the man -- Omar Burkholder, 32, of 106 E. High St. in Sharpsburg -- was hearing impaired.
The person driving the Norfolk Southern train sounded the horn numerous times, but Burkholder didn't react, police said in a news release.
Burkholder was walking toward Shepherdstown, W.Va., which is about a mile from the scene. At about 1:30 p.m., he was hit from behind and thrown about 50 feet, police said.
Burkholder died at the scene.
Police said Burkholder's body was taken to the state medical examiner's office in Baltimore to determine the cause of death.
The tracks are set back from Md. 34 about a quarter-mile.
Don Weigel, an assistant chief of Sharpsburg Area Emergency Medical Services, said the freight train was going 33 mph, within the acceptable speed range at that spot.
