Officials ID man struck, killed by train in NE Atlanta

Authorities are investigating after a man was struck and killed by a Norfolk Southern train in northeast Atlanta on Saturday night.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Authorities are investigating after a man was struck and killed by a Norfolk Southern train in northeast Atlanta on Saturday night.

A man was killed Saturday night after being hit by a Norfolk Southern train in northeast Atlanta, officials said.

The incident happened at about 7:30 p.m. in the area of East Paces Ferry and Roxboro roads, according to authorities. The location is a short distance from Peachtree Road, and near where the neighborhoods of Lenox Park, Buckhead Heights, Pine Hills and Ridgedale Park intersect.

Norfolk Southern officials confirmed the man was struck while on the tracks. On Tuesday, he was identified as 32-year-old Brett Barlow by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.

“No matter the circumstances, any loss of life is a tragedy — our thoughts are with the family of this person during this difficult time,” the company wrote in a statement.

An Atlanta police spokesperson said they received a call about the incident around 7:40 p.m., but that Norfolk Southern Railroad police were taking the lead in the investigation. On Sunday, railroad police said all information about the incident would be provided by the company’s media relations team, which released its statement and the time of the incident.

In the statement, Norfolk Southern reiterated the dangers of walking or traveling on railroad tracks, writing how they are “uniquely dangerous places that always beg extra care to ensure everyone’s safety.”

“We would be remiss if we didn’t say that train tracks are simply no place for the public,” the company added.

No other information was released, including what the person was doing on the tracks, or if the train sounded its horn.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.