Pedestrian killed by train identified, name withheld pending notification of family

STERLING — Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker said in a new release issued Wednesday afternoon that the identity of the pedestrian who was killed in the early morning is now known.

Booker said the person is a man. The name is being withheld pending notifications, he said..

Union Pacific Railway reported an incident on the tracks at 2:36 a.m. on Wednesday in the vicinity of U.S. Route 30 and Harvey Road in rural Sterling.

Deputies at the scene determined that a Union Pacific Railway train was traveling westbound on the south tracks and struck a pedestrian.

Also responding to the incident were Sterling Fire Department, CGH Ambulance, Coroner Joe McDonald and a representative of the railroad.

This story was updated at 3 p.m. Wednesday based on new information provided by Whiteside County Sheriff.