AMELIA, Va. (WTVR)--Just a short distance from the center of town and the courthouse are the Amelia train tracks.
Most who grew up in the small community admit that walking along the tracks was a common practice throughout young adulthood.
"We all did it, my neighbors… all of us. As kids we used to walk up the tracks to get to the store or just because we were bored," said Amelia resident Jessica Cognata.
Around 9 a.m. Saturday morning something tragically uncommon stopped local train traffic; a nineteen-year-old man, who police said was lying across the tracks, was hit by an oncoming train.
Police said the train conductors were simply not able to stop in time to avoid making contact with the victim.
"They're religious with blowing that horn, you can hear it coming that's why it's such a shock that somebody got hit on the tracks," said Cognata.
The shock has spread quickly with word of the accident in town. Allision Garnett claimed she was a classmate of the victim's at Amelia High School and that they graduated together in 2011.
"It's just really sad I mean he's my age or he was my age," said Garnett. "It's just really sad."
The victim was taken to VCU Medical Center where he later died of his injuries. Police are still investigating what might of happened and whether alcohol was a factor.
While the answers are determined, the loss is felt for friends and neighbors throughout Amelia.
"It's horrible.Nineteen, he hasn't even lived yet," said Cognata.
CBS 6 has learned the identity of the victim from several sources but has chosen not to release it until State Police officially release it--which they are not doing at this time.
