Western Railroad Discussion > Peach Springs fatality

Anyone ever find out the identity of the victim who was run over in Peach Springs, AZ?

I posted on another site the only info I could get out of the local police agency was the location, it was a train that was involved, either a family member or friend was with the deceased at the time of death, the deceased was married.
This agency has no plans on releaseing any information unless approved by their Tribal Chief or agency head not the police chief. One last tidbit the investigation is still on going. That what I got from two seperate phone calls.
I'll call their higher up upon his return next week and see if anything else will be given out.

Thanks for the info, Vegasrails.

When you do have an opportunity to call back, try getting a hometown city/state/country out of them, if they refuse to provide anything else. I'd try myself, but I'm not sure who you've been in contact with.

when the investigation is complete. That might be the most info anybody will get from the Tribal Council...


AM

What does it matter what his name was? He was NOT a railfan and none of you would know him. For the record, he never owned a tripod, he was alone at the time of death and he was not from the area so had no idea how much traffic that rail carried. He made a very human mistake (stupid, yes, but human just the same)and it cost him his life. This was the first, last and only time that he ever took a photo of a train. And, of course, the accident was no one's fault but his. It could happen to anyone though (we all make mistakes). Please be careful out there!

The BNSF dispatcher who (a) knew the identity of the victim and (b) reported the incident to this audience in the first place, stated in this forum that the victim was a railfan taking pictures. He additionally said that anyone taking pictures of trains was a "railfan."

From the reports that several have been able to piece together, this victim was clueless about the basic "expect a train any time from any direction" rule of railroad safety. Further, this person was taking photographs in an area where, on my many visits to the region, I have observed tourists (non-railfans)photographing western Americana, including Route 66, indian reservation scenes and trains. So I've been skeptical of the early, tho seemingly official, reports of this person being a "railfan."

In the ensuing days, there have been no death reports that I am aware of, either in the railfan grapevine or elsewhere. You would think that the death of a railfan in such a manner would have created "chatter" in railfan circles and would have generated an obituary in the mainstream media mentioning this person's interest in trains. There's nothing I'm aware of.

If this victim were a general interest photographer shooting shots around the Hualapai reservation, which just happened to include trains, then he would have been in possession of a photo permit issued by the tribe. I'm guessing here, but this would be a reason why the tribe and it's police agency might be hesitant to release the name. I just don't know...

You speak with some authority that you know facts about this case that have been previously unreported. I have no ghoulish interest in this incident beyond knowing if the person was indeed a "railfan." I have my doubts. But as a veteran journalist, when I add all these questions and find answers from the investigating agency to be less than forthcoming (these folks would love working in Communist China), I am increasingly skeptical of the initial report that a "railfan" was killed pursuing his hobby. A photographer or a tourist, perhaps...

I agree with Dave. Things just don't add up. While its possible he was a railfan, just what type of fan was he? A
newbie?? An "armchair" fan who just happened to be taking
pictures this time??? Way too many unanswerable questions here.
Can't lump all "foamers" into a single stereotype; just because this guy "appears" to be a fan doesn't mean he was a "hardcore" fan who spends lots of time trackside and has a good idea of what and what not to do. I'm from a family of "rails" so I'm certainly not clueless about the danger of being trackside.

I don't want to lumped into some railfan catagory labeled
"just another clueless foamer".


AM

Alco251 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The BNSF dispatcher who (a) knew the identity of
> the victim and (b) reported the incident to this
> audience in the first place, stated in this forum
> that the victim was a railfan taking pictures. He
> additionally said that anyone taking pictures of
> trains was a "railfan."

I think it was the condescending, absolute and repeated assertions by the above-referenced poster that this guy was a RAILFAN that got us all stirred up. I could otherwise care less who the guy is or what the circumstances are.

What pisses me off is any potential backlash against responsible railfans or railroad photographers because of this. The Nelson-Crozier area is a goldmine of photo opportunities that is hard to access without technically trespassing on someone's private property.

Also disturbing is that the BNSF crews involved are very distraught over this and the railroad itself took a big hit due to the mainline being tied up for 5 hours. The vast majority of us realize that railroads are a private enterprise and are not operated for our personal entertainment. That's why the overemphasis on the Peach Springs/railfan connection bothers us so much. Bob

I believe if the fatality had been a railfan we would have a name and some body out there would know him. The railroad has their little point they want to make and facts aren't necessary just beliefs and gut feelings.
Anyone who has traveled that part of Arizona knows there are all sorts of people up there taking pictures for all sorts of reasons.
The Railroad has a legitimate concern about trespassers and this is a good example of why they are concerned. The unfortunate thing is they feel the need to make up lies even when it isn’t necessary. Seems to be a common problem with all sources of authority these days, even when they are in the right they have to embellish the thing with a bunch of lies that discredit the entire message. I guess the hired flacks have to come out from under their rocks and do something to justify their sorry existence.

The original poster is claiming the victim was a railfan from his desk - over a 1000 miles away - in Fort Worth, Texas based on other people's reports. He said he knows the victim's name but refuses to divulge it. He also claims that it was determined on-site that the victim was a railfan, but also refuses to say what criteria was used in making this determination. On top of it all, he appoints himself as the company spokesperson for this incident, prefaced by an egotistical rant about railfans being irresponsible, when he himself is visiting this website as a railfan.

Oh yeah, this story sounds so legitimate, how dare we question it.

If a railroad special agent sees an individual with a camera alongside the tracks they immediately become a railfan even if they are using the camera to shoot foliage while employing the row for elevation. Period, end of assessmet, that is how it will be reported in the official investigation, that is what they will tell the local police personnel. That person becomes a railfan in the official statistics. It is immutable.

Well I know Dave and I have both made efforts to secure more information. I started with County agencies and local news outlets then was referred to the Tribal Police for information.
After ID'ing myself and advsing them that this was not an official call. I received minimual to no information, other than what I reported previously in this thread. I left a number for a return call but it was never returned. When I called again to speak to the Chief he was out to lunch, I gave them two hours and called again only to be told to hold and landed up speaking to an assistant Chief of the PD. Who after questioning my background, employer, business reason for calling etc. Stated they could not answer any questions since it was still under investigation.
In the years I have been involved in Law Enforcement or the Judicial system this is a first for me. Not saying I was ever refused but I was always provided with the professional courtesy of the little tidbits that would explain why no information was coming out, or given the information with the agreement that it could not be given out till a later time. There are always way to ID your self either over the phone or computer system but they do not wish to provide any information into this death. It's interesting to note that two tribes are near or the RR row goes thru their land here in Las Vegas and from the tribal leaders to the PD locally they have always been helpful. It's a complete difference in Peach Springs.

In reference to:
"You speak with some authority that you know facts about this case that have been previously unreported. I have no ghoulish interest in this incident beyond knowing if the person was indeed a "railfan."

I don't really have lots of details but I do have background on the victim. The man killed in Peach Springs was my father-in-law for the past 16 years. He, his wife and other family members were on an elderhostel vacation to the Grand Canyon. You'd be surprised to learn just how little of the facts we, as his family, possess. We are not even in possession of his remains yet. They are still in Arizona.

I'm attaching hotlinks to two articles on this man just so you'll have an idea of who he was. He definitely had his hobbies and his passions but being a "railfan" was not one of them. Oh, and a point of clarification, he didn't even own a tripod!

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050414/NEWS01/50413023/1009

http://www.ls.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=943

We hypothesize that he was taking pictures of the area at sunrise, probably spied what he thought would be a great photo of a train with the sunrise in the background. (His 4 year old grandson loves trains and we think if he was photographing the train it was for this little boy.) We are sure he didn't think about the risks and it cost him. We know the rail crew could have done nothing to prevent the accident and we hate that the crew had to be involved in this. What a terrible feeling it must have been to know what was about to happen and not be able to do anything to stop it.

We are awaiting a police report so we can have an idea about what happened. If any of you know ANYTHING about how it happened (even if it is hard to tell or hear), I would appreciate it. The truth regarding the accident and how exactly he was killed - run over, nicked by a railing on the train, or something else would help provide some closure and can't be any worse than the mental images we already have regarding how it might have all played out. Please e-mail me if you learn more. I know these comments sound morbid but knowing the truth (all of it) is better than not knowing.

Thanks and PLEASE be careful out there. Sounds like a fun, safe, hobby if you play by the rules. Sorry that this accident has tarnished your hobby.