The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation after a man was fatally hit by a CSX train Thursday night, July 9, 2026.
Deputies were dispatched to the railroad tracks northeast of the intersection of 2nd Street North and 2nd Eloise Terrace in Winter Haven at approximately 8:20 p.m.
The victim, a 37-year-old man who appears to be homeless, was found deceased with blunt force trauma to his head, shoulder, and back.
The investigation determined that the CSX train departed from Auburndale and was traveling southbound towards Lake Wales at about 35 mph.
The train’s engineer saw the man walking southbound along the left side of the train tracks. The train’s horn was used to warn the man of the advancing train, but he continued to walk along the tracks and did not acknowledge the train.
An autopsy will be performed at a later date.
Efforts are ongoing to locate and notify the next of kin. The investigation is ongoing.
