A pedestrian is dead after being struck by a CSX train in Smithfield, according to the town's public information officer, as police work to determine what led up to the collision. The cause of the incident has not been determined, and police are investigating.
According to WRAL, the incident happened Thursday at 6:40 p.m. near the dead end of North Street and North 12th Street, after Johnston County 911 was notified and emergency crews responded to the scene. The train crew did not report any injuries to themselves, and the Smithfield Police Department said the cause remains under investigation. A separate account from cbs17.com concerns an October 5, 2025 collision near the intersection of East Market Street and 9th Street.
That station reports that a man was on the tracks when he was hit by the train and died at the scene, and that investigators said a CSX freight train was traveling through Smithfield at the time. Smithfield police are investigating what led to the pedestrian's death, per the outlet's reporting, though neither the victim's identity nor the precise cause of the collision has been made public.
Fatal Train Strikes Reported in Smithfield in 2025
A separate report from ABC11 describes a person struck by a CSX train near Shelter Way in Smithfield who was pronounced dead at the scene, with police responding and the victim's identity not released. In its October 7, 2025, report, the outlet stated that this marked the second time in the same week that a person was hit and killed by a train in Smithfield.
The North Street collision occurred Thursday, October 1, 2026. CBS 17's account concerns an October 5, 2025 collision, while ABC11's October 7, 2025, report called its event the second train death in Smithfield that week.
A Pattern Seen Before on Johnston County Tracks
Fatal train strikes have hit this stretch of Johnston County before. WRAL previously reported that Selma police investigated a train crash that killed a man on a Tuesday morning in Smithfield, with officials responding to that call before 5:15 a.m. That accident off South Pollock Street reportedly happened nearly six minutes down the road from North Brightleaf Boulevard from another train accident that had killed a man days earlier, the station noted.
Federal safety officials say incidents like these remain a persistent risk nationwide. The Federal Railroad Administration notes that the number of trespassing occurrences on railroad property each year far exceeds the number of fatalities, meaning the potential for more trespasser accidents persists. The agency also states that it is illegal to access private railroad property anywhere other than a designated pedestrian or roadway crossing.
Smithfield police have not yet released additional information identifying the victim or describing how the collision occurred. The investigation continues.
