DULUTH, Ga. — A rideshare driver was killed early Thursday morning when his car got stuck on the railroad tracks in Duluth. A passenger escaped before the car was hit by a freight train, police said.
It happened around 5:25 a.m. on the railroad tracks near South Peachtree Street at Hardy Street.
It was not immediately clear how the car got stuck on the tracks.
According to a statement from the City of Duluth Police Department, a train operator noticed the car and activated the emergency stopping system while signaling the horn, but the driver never left his car. The passenger, who was a rideshare app user, was able to get out.
Norfolk Southern confirmed with 11Alive that it was one of their trains and that the crossing warning devices were "functioning properly."
"Any loss of life is a tragedy, and our thoughts are with their family during this difficult time," they said in a statement.
Police said the driver, 39-year-old Guangyun Jin, was pronounced dead on the scene. The accident is still under investigation.