Pedestrian killed in train collision

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 20, 2006

By KERI CHAMPION

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE-A pedestrian was killed in a collision with a train early Saturday morning near the intersection of Airline and Ormond.

Mike Tregre, spokesman for St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office said at approximately 12:52 a.m. on Saturday morning a call came in from Kansas City Southern Railroad stating that they had a collision with a pedestrian.

A statement issued to police by the train operators advised that the train had been traveling southbound when they felt a thump on the track.

&#8220The operator stopped to investigate and found a body lying across the railroad tracks,” Tregre said.

&#8220EMS was called out to the scene to try and treat the victim but he was unresponsive in their attempts to revive him. The coroner arrived shortly thereafter,” Tregre said.

Dillon Simmons, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene by the St. John Coroner’s Office.

The crash is still under investigation at this time. It is unclear as to why Simmons was near the tracks