Lexington County man who was hit and killed by train was deaf, coroner says

The man who was hit and killed by a train in Lexington County on Thursday did not hear warnings from the train because he was deaf, according to the coroner’s office. 

The deadly incident happened around 9 a.m. at the intersection of Chapel Road and Lois Lane in West Columbia. 

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said 59-year-old Kenneth W. Zeigler, of Gaston, was walking on the railroad track when the train approached him from behind. 

“Auditory warnings from the train were used to alert him,” Fisher said in a release, “however, Mr. Zeigler, who had been deaf since birth, did not react.” 

Zeigler died at the scene from his injuries, Fisher said. 

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department is investigating.