A Highlands High School student died early Sunday morning after he was struck by a freight train passing through Tarentum, according to authorities.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Kodey Heckman, 15, of Tarentum.
The accident occurred at 6:23 a.m. on the Norfolk Southern train tracks near West Sixth Avenue and Center Street, according to the county homicide unit, which is investigating the incident.
The train’s crew sounded the horn and applied the brakes but could not avoid striking the teen, said Jon Glass, a spokesman for the railroad.
The eastbound train, which was headed to Baltimore, Md., was outfitted with two locomotives pulling 129 railcars loaded with coal, Glass said.
Railroad personnel assisted local law enforcement in their investigation, he said.
The train was stopped along the tracks for several hours after the boy was killed.
Administrators and counselors at Highlands High School, where Heckman attended, will be available to speak to students and staff on Monday, said district spokeswoman Jennifer Goldberg.
Grief counselors from Wesley Family Services also will be at the school to assist, she said.
Highlands School Board President Debbie Beale said staff and parents were informed about Heckman’s death on Sunday evening with a message sent out through the district’s electronic notification, or “one call” system.
Beale said Heckman’s death is a “sad loss” for the district and the community. She extended condolences “to the family of this fine young man.”
Members of the Summit Hose Company in Tarentum, where Heckman was a member, commented on the teen’s death in a social media post.
“This morning stations 282 and 281 were dispatched for a train vs. a pedestrian accident. Little did we know we were responding for one of our own.
“It’s with heavy hearts and tear-filled eyes we have to say the pedestrian was junior firefighter Kodey Heckman.
“Kodey was a fun loving, caring, devoted member of our department and will be deeply missed by all.
“Our hearts and sympathy go out to Kodey’s family and friends.
“Kodey you will be deeply missed by all of us. Rest easy and look down on us all when that whistle blows.
“We will take it from here.”
