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By Neil B. McGahee

Managing Editor

A 21-year-old Vienna man was killed Sunday evening when he was struck by a Norfolk Southern freight train.

The Vienna Police Department received a call around 8:30pm that a person had been struck by a train in the area of East Pine and North 7th Streets. Upon arrival, officers found Stantavious Rashard Burnam, 21, deceased at the scene.
A preliminary investigation determined that Burnam was struck somewhere along the Norfolk Southern tracks between Union and Pine Streets. It is still undetermined as to why Burnam was around this area of the tracks.

According to those who knew him, Burnam, a 2020 graduate of Dooly County High School, was a very quiet but happy person.

“He was a joy to be around,” said Crisp County Athletic Director Jimmy Hughes, the former head football coach at Dooly County High School. “He always had a smile on his face. He was just a good, good fellow.”

Dooly High Principal Jerry Sanders said he was devastated when he got the call Sunday night.

“Stantavious was a great student,” Sanders said. “I never had any trouble with him. He was very quiet, very humble and always smiling; that’s what I remember most about him. I tried to convince him to go in the military after he graduated from high school but he said he wanted to work. I just can’t figure out why he was on that railroad track.”

This is an ongoing investigation, so if anyone has information related to this incident they should contact the Vienna Police Department or the Georgia State Patrol.

The Vienna Police Department would like to thank the Dooly County Sheriff’s Office, the Vienna Fire Department, the Georgia State Patrol, the Dooly County Corners Office, the Dooly County EMS, the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office and the Norfolk Southern Railroad Police for their quick response and assistance in working this situation.