Eric Shaun Gowen was 53 and lived in Poplar Bluff. On Saturday morning, October 17, 2026, a train hit him near the railroad crossing bridge by Riverview and Bartlett Street. It happened around 11 a.m. He died right there.
Folks who knew him say he was just a regular guy from town. One of those mornings that starts normal and ends with everyone talking about what happened. The train came through and that was it for Eric.
Butler County Coroner’s Office is looking into it. So are Poplar Bluff Police, the Fire Department, and Union Pacific Railroad. They have not said much else yet. Just that the case stays open while they sort the details.
People around Poplar Bluff heard the news and it hit hard. A Saturday morning should not end like that for anyone. Eric left behind the kind of quiet life that fills a small town—neighbors, routines, the everyday stuff that stops when someone is gone.
The spot where it happened is a known crossing. Trains roll through there all the time. On this day one of them struck Eric and took him. No big speech needed. It just did.
Those close to him will keep the memories of who he was before that morning. The rest of the town will remember the name and the place. Life can turn that fast.
Eric Shaun Gowen is gone. The investigation continues.
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