A 26-year-old Fairchild man was killed after he was struck by a train in northern Jackson County.

Corey L. Kaufman died at an Eau Claire hospital on Sunday after a Union Pacific train ran over his body. Kaufman was lying on the tracks at the time of the incident.

At 3:42 a.m. Oct. 2, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call regarding a person that was struck by a train in northern Jackson County.

Sheriff’s officials were notified by Union Pacific Railroad representatives that a train had just struck a person who was reportedly laying on the railroad tracks between Bramer Road and Highway 10 in the town of Cleveland.

The Sheriff’s Department dispatched squads to the area, as well as members of the Fairchild Police Department, the Fairchild First Responders and the Fairchild Fire Department. Black River Falls EMS and Union Pacific Railroad police also responded.

Upon arriving at the scene of the accident, officials confirmed that Kaufman had been struck by the train. The victim received immediate treatment to his injuries.

Subsequently, a landing zone was established for the Mayo Clinic helicopter “Mayo 1,” which had been dispatched and was flying to the scene. The Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Department assisted in establishing a landing zone.

Kaufman was subsequently airlifted to Eau Claire Luther Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

The initial investigation shows that Kaufman was observed by the train engineer to be lying on the railroad tracks. The train engineer attempted to stop the train before striking the man, but he was unable to stop the train in time. The train was powered by three locomotive engines and pulling 40 cars, with many of the cars loaded.

Officials also discovered that earlier that same morning, Kaufman was a suspect in a short high-speed chase in the Fairchild area. In that incident, Kaufman allegedly fled from his vehicle on foot into a wooded area after leading police on a short chase.

Kaufman had no valid license and was a fugitive of a warrant and he was on probation.

The incident remains under investigation.