MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) - The Federal Railroad Administration is investigating the death of a state docks worker. The 27-year-old was killed in an accident at McDuffie Terminal this weekend.

A Mobile County family spent the holiday making funeral plans for a 27-year-old who was killed on his job Saturday.

Alabama Port Authority officials say Joshua Roper was a switchman for the Terminal Railway Division at the state docks.

"He was a fellow employee, but they don't really want us to say because I don't know anything you know. I don't know the facts. I wasn't here so, I was off work," a co-worker said.

A co-worker who didn't give his name isn't the only one in the dark about what happened. Port Authority officials aren't sure either.

Officials say Roper was working a train at McDuffie Coal Terminal when co-workers suddenly lost communication with him.

When Roper's co-workers found him, they said it appeared he had been struck by a railcar. However, there were no witnesses.

The Alabama Port Authority is not releasing many details about what happened, but they say it appears all safety procedures were followed.

Roper was an experienced railway switcher. However, he had only worked for the Port Authority since April.

We're told roper came to work for the Port Authority from CSX Railway.