Update: San Marcos Police Release Name Of Cyclist

Police have identified the victim of Thursday’s fatal train accident as 23- year-old Evan Meredith Kistner (01-18-1993).  Kistner was killed just after 3 p.m. when a Union Pacific train hit him while he was bicycling near the sidewalk and railroad tracks at Hopkins Street near City Park.

The train crew saw Kistner and activated the train’s horn. They report that Kistner did not respond to the warning signals.  The crew conducted an emergency stop, but was unable to halt the train in time and struck Kistner.

First responders performed CPR on Kistner but were unable to revive him. Justice of the Peace Jo Ann Prado declared him deceased at the scene.  Kistner’s body was transported to Central Texas Autopsy in Lockhart.

The train, which included four engines, 128 rail cars and was approximately 7,400 feet in length, stopped after the collision, blocking East Hopkins Street at the railroad crossing between the San Marcos Activity Center and the bridge over the San Marcos River.  Parts of the roadway were blocked for approximately 3 hours.    

The cause of the collision is still under investigation by the San Marcos Police Department and Union Pacific Railroad police.