A 41-year-old Rowan County man died early Friday morning after stepping in front of an Amtrak train near Peeler Road.

The victim has been identified as David Allen Parker of 320 Pine Valley Drive, an employee of the state Department of Corrections at 2750 S. Main St.

The train engineer told authorities he saw a man standing on the east side of the tracks as the train reached the railroad crossing at Peeler Road. As the train drew close, the man stepped onto the tracks in front of the train and was hit.

The engineer said he immediately began the emergency braking procedure and was finally able to stop the train near Crossridge Avenue along US Highway 29.

 Fire Department personnel directed deputies to the crossing at Peeler Road, where the incident began.  Deputies and other emergency personnel found black work boots, clothing and some forms of identification.  A white shirt they located had NC State DOC patches on it, and a corrections employee ID card was also recovered.

A state trooper found Parker’s car parked close to the Peeler Road crossing.

Lt. Neal Goodman of the Sheriff’s Office and Capt. Foster of the Department of Corrections informed Parker’s wife.  Information gathered indicated that Parker had recently been dealing with medical and financial problems.

The NC Medical Examiner’s Office was contacted, and the Rowan County Rescue Squad responded to pick up the body.

The train, Amtrak train 19 traveling from New York to New Orleans, had 252 passengers. No one on the train was injured. The train arrived in Charlotte about three hours later than expected, around 5:30 this morning.

The investigation is continuing.

At least three other people have died on railroad tracks in Rowan this year.