Metrorail employee killed by train

NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A Metrorail employee was killed on the tracks after he was stuck by a train while on the job.

After an investigation that lasted nearly all day Monday, the Miami-Dade Police Department has concluded that the man died after a Metrorail train struck him at the Earlington Heights Station. However, police have more questions. "We don't know at the moment what the reason was that led to that, but he expired at the scene," said Miami-Dade Police Detective Aida Fina-Milian.

The Metrorail station was closed for most of the day after the employee, who was not identified, somehow died on the train tracks, Monday morning. It remains unclear why the man, who police said was in his 40s, was working on the tracks, which were in use at the time.

Miami-Dade Transit spokesperson Karla Damian offered a brief statement at the scene: "Unfortunately, we had an incident where a transit employee was struck and killed by a train."

Police had arrived at the Metrorail station in Northwest Miami-Dade at around 9 in the morning. It was shut down to trains until just before 3 p.m. as police continued to investigate. Transit officials had to use buses to shuttle people back and forth.

Commuters were left in the dark as to why trains could not continue past Earlington Heights Station almost all day long. "They just told us here that something happened at this station," said a man.

Officials have not said what work the deceased man was doing when he the train struck him.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)