Man Killed by Train Was Trespassing, Emmaus Police Say

Emmaus police believe they have the pertinent facts surrounding Monday morning's fatal train accident in the borough and at this time are not further investigating the incident.

One man, 33-year-old David Schlaner of Bethlehem, was struck and killed about 11:20 a.m. by a Norfolk Southern train near the Pennyslvania Turnpike bridge near Chestnut Street, police have said. Police have said others were with him, but they have not said how many. Those men have not been identified.

The group was removing a section of cast iron pipe and was rolling it on the rails, according to Sgt. Karl Geschwindt. "It is a tragic situation," he said.

The circumstances of that removal have not been made clear, but Geschwindt said the men were not working on a construction project and were not authorized to be on railroad property.

"As of now there are no charges pending," he said, but he did not know Norfolk Southern's intentions.

Asked to comment, Norfolk Southern's spokesman Rudy Husband said, "That decision hasn't been made yet."

Husband said the railroad did not have a comment on the death or the circumstances involved.

Geschwindt said he had not heard an explanation as to why Schlaner did not run to safety or if he did not hear a train coming. If those who were with Schlaner told police, Geschwindt said he did not know.

Schlaner was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lehigh County Coroner's Office.The death has been ruled accidental and as a result of multiple blunt force trauma, according to First Deputy Coroner Paul Hoffman.

Those agencies responding to the emergency were Emmaus police, fire and ambulance, Pennsylvania State Police, Vera Cruz Fire Department, the coroner's office and Norfolk Southern personnel.