UPDATE (April 3):

The CEO of Buckingham Branch Railroad, Mark Bryant, says they've been in business for decades and have never experienced anything like the train involved in two fatal pedestrian collisions this past weekend.

On their trains, crews typically consist of two people: the engineer driving the train, controlling the throttle and brakes and a manager, keeping track of their route and getting on the ground to couple and uncouple the cars.

As far as Buckingham Branch knows, the incidents in Crozet and Waynesboro, while only about 12 miles apart, were entirely unrelated.

After the first incident, management went to the scene to check on the crew and ask how they were doing and gave them the option to be released by a different crew or continue on their own.

The crew chose to continue after the first incident. But after the second, they pulled in a new crew.

When both collisions happened, the train was on its way back to its home station, so there was no choice but to continue a few hours after the first collision.

Buckingham Branch has a plan in place to support the crew and offer counseling. They say they're there to take care of their people.

The core issue, according to railroad management, is that people should not be around or on railroad tracks and the public needs to be educated about that.

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UPDATE (April 2):

Police have identified the second person who was struck and killed by a train on Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday, March 31, around noon, a train heading west on a Buckingham Branch railroad struck a 39-year-old Waynesboro man, identified as Sebastian Herrera, around Marymart Farm Road and Lanetown Roadnear Crozet. Herrera died at the scene.

After a few hours, the train continued along its route and about twelve miles west, in Waynesboro, the same train hit and killed another person in the 900 block of West Broad Street, just behind Willow Oak Plaza Shopping Center.

According to the Waynesboro Police Department, the train crew spotted a man lying on the tracks as they rounded a curve at the Florence Ave. bridge. The crew members immediately sounded the horn and attempted to stop the train, but the distance they had was not enough.

Police say the victim was identified as 32-year-old Taylor Dalton Stevens and the case remains under investigation as the medical examiner conducts an autopsy.

The CEO with Buckingham Branch told WHSV that the company is providing counseling and support for the crew of the train, which was involved in both fatal collisions.

"We work hard to try and take care of our people," he said.

"When approaching tracks, drivers and pedestrians should give the tracks their full attention, and take the time to look and listen for an oncoming train," CSX said in a statement. "Only cross the tracks at designated public grade crossings, and never walk along the railroad tracks. Above all, drivers and pedestrians should always obey posted warning signs and signals, which are there to help keep people safe, and never try to beat a train."

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UPDATE (April 1):

Two people were struck and killed by the same train within about 12 miles of each other this past weekend.

On Sunday, March 31, around noon, a man was hit and killed by a westbound train in Crozet near Marymart Farm Road and Lanetown Road.

Albemarle County police identified the man as 39-year-old Sebastian Herrera, of Waynesboro. He was killed at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation, but not as a criminal matter.

A few hours later, once the scene was clear, the train continued along its route west.

Tragically, a little before 3 p.m., the same train, driven by the same conductor, struck and killed another pedestrian in the 900 block of West Broad Street in Waynesboro, just behind Willow Oak Plaza Shopping Center.

That's only around twelve miles from the scene in Crozet. That incident remains under investigation as well.

A spokesman with Buckingham Branch Railroad, which manages the section of railroad on which both crashes occurred, said the train had operated normally and followed all safety protocols.

He couldn't recall any other time a train on their line has been involved in a situation like this one.

The company is providing counseling and support for the crew of the train, as they always do after such incidents.

"We work hard to try and take care of our people," the CEO of Buckingham Branch said.

As Waynesboro police continue to investigate the collision in their city, no identity of that victim has been released.

Buckingham Branch leases the railroad from CSX, who provided the following statement to WHSV:

"At CSX, safety is our top priority. We want everyone to safely return home to their families – whether they work for us, or live in the communities where we operate. Every year in the U.S., thousands of people are involved in collisions with trains and many of those incidents are preventable. That is why CSX dedicates considerable time and resources to raising awareness about how to safely cross railroad tracks. When approaching tracks, drivers and pedestrians should give the tracks their full attention, and take the time to look and listen for an oncoming train. Only cross the tracks at designated public grade crossings, and never walk along the railroad tracks. Above all, drivers and pedestrians should always obey posted warning signs and signals, which are there to help keep people safe, and never try to beat a train."

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A man is dead after a train hit him on Sunday afternoon in Waynesboro, according to the city's police department.

Crews responded to the 900 block of West Broad Street behind Willow Oak Plaza Shopping Center a little before 3 p.m.

It was determined a train traveling west hit the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The man's identity was not immediately known by authorities.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing, police said.