Four Oaks — A disabled man was killed late Wednesday night near downtown Four Oaks after being struck by a freight train, police reported.

Four Oaks Police Chief Danny Toppings said John Elmer Gilbert Jr., 38, had been walking near the train tracks in town about 11:30 p.m. when he decided to sit down on a stretch of the tracks just north of Baker and Railroad streets. An engineer driving the CSX train saw Gilbert but was unable to avoid striking him, Toppings said.

"He couldn't stop," the police chief said. "But it was actually the side of a flatbed rail car that clipped him and killed him."

Toppings said a combination of factors worked against Gilbert. Gilbert was both deaf and mute, Toppings said. He had also been drinking; police found a six-pack and a 12-pack of beer beside Gilbert at the accident site. Toppings said the 12-pack was unopened, but several cans from the six-pack were missing.

Gilbert’s aunt, with whom he lived at a home on Strickland's Crossroads Road, told police she last saw her nephew about 7 p.m., Toppings said.

Toppings said there were no witnesses to the accident other than the train engineer.