Police release name of man killed by train in Ypsilanti
Police on Tuesday released the name of the 65-year-old Ypsilanti Township man killed by a train in Ypsilanti Thanksgiving morning.
Tom McGuire was discovered by railroad workers 100 yards north of Forest Avenue at 9:25 a.m. Thursday. He died from injuries suffered after being hit by a train.
Investigators have narrowed it down to two westbound trains that were coming through the area at that time -- one freight, the other passenger, said Ypsilanti police Sgt. Thomas Eberts.
McGuire was last seen alive Wednesday night around 10 p.m., Eberts said. His family eventually reported him missing to the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office. Police were able to identify McGuire as the victim late last week, but did not want to release his name until the family was notified.
Officials are labeling the incident accidental. McGuire liked walking along railroad tracks.
"It was something he enjoyed doing," Eberts said the family told him.
Investigators believe McGuire was walking alongside the tracks when he was struck by the train. Operators of the trains going through the area in the time frame of the accident did not report striking anything on the tracks.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
John Counts
Wed, Nov 28, 2012 : 6:06 p.m.
Thanks, linuxtuxguy. The missing word has been added in the story.
linuxtuxguy
Wed, Nov 28, 2012 : 1:30 p.m.
I'm pretty sure they did NOT want to release the name until after the family was notified. "Police were able to identify McGuire as the victim late last week, but did want to release his name until the family was notified."
brian
Wed, Nov 28, 2012 : 4:14 a.m.
Rest in Peace Sir. Prayers to the family.
Youwhine
Wed, Nov 28, 2012 : 2:29 a.m.
So no train knew that they hit anything... Yet they just happened to dispatch a work crew to walk the tracks on Thanksgiving morning? Riiiight.
AlwaysLate
Wed, Nov 28, 2012 : 6:59 p.m.
Norfolk Southern Railway, who owns the tracks, inspect the tracks and right-of way for defects and problems several times a day. Perhaps, you have seen their white pick-up trucks (known as Highrailers...) crossing the streets where the tracks cross. And, as far as the engine crew not knowing that they hit a human being... Freight and passenger trains weigh many tons and travel through Ypsilanti in excess of 60 miles per hour. Hitting a car bearly makes a noise...with little vibration. Hitting a human...unless the person was standing directly in front on the train...no one would know.
brian
Wed, Nov 28, 2012 : 4:19 a.m.
Where do you get your info from. Railroad workers work the tracks all the time. Where did you read that they SENT out workers on Thanksgiving day? Enlighten me, Enlighten me.
Ann English
Wed, Nov 28, 2012 : 12:44 a.m.
So he was walking alongside the tracks, not ON the tracks? That would explain why neither train stopped after he was hit, possibly by something jutting out from a train car. When people sit or walk on railroad tracks and get hit, the train stops, whether it's freight or passenger.