UPDATE: The involved male was identified as 57-year-old Derek Lee Berling of Oakridge. According to witnesses, Derek had been jogging along the tracks and did not hear the train’s horn blast.
By GEORGE CUSTER/Editor –Just before noon on Friday, a person, walking along the railroad tracks about one-half mile east of the Oakridge city limits, was struck by the westbound Amtrak passenger train. Reports indicate that the male was wearing earbuds and was unaware of the oncoming train.
Emergency responders performed CPR but were unsuccessful in reviving the victim. The Lane County Coroner pronounced the person deceased at the scene.
The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
This story is ongoing will be updated as more information becomes available.
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.
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