A six-year-old boy and his grandparents died in an Amtrak train crash in upstate New York after becoming trapped on the tracks at a railroad crossing, as the couple’s daughter broke her silence about the tragedy.
The family’s Dodge pickup turned onto River Road onto Felton Street in North Tonawanda and became stuck on the railroad tracks when the railroad gates closed around it shortly before 8 p.m. Friday.
Three people in the car, David McMinn, 69, Olive Geldart, 66, and Ra’Mari Geldart, 6, were hit by an oncoming train.
‘Some of you may know this and some of you may not, but I lost my mum, my dad and my great nephew on Friday night. I won’t go into details at the moment,” her daughter Amber Evelyn Louise said on Facebook.
‘Marla lost her son; her baby, and she is gravely grieving the loss of her as I’m sure most couldn’t imagine.
The Dodge pickup truck was hit by a train in North Tonawanda after becoming trapped on railroad tracks when railroad gates closed around it Friday.
‘I have some help raising funds for my mom and her family are looking after Dave. Please share or donate something if you can to help with the cost of Ra’Mari’s funeral.’
A GoFundMe page has been created to raise funds for Ra’MariKelsey Kuhn has arranged another one for Amber to help with the Olive’s funeral costs..
‘They were wonderful, kind, selfless human beings who would give their shirts off for anyone.
The kindest hearted people you will ever meet. “This is beyond tragic and I’m just trying to raise money for all the expenses,” Kuhn told DailyMail.com.
The Amtrak train was going from New York City to Niagara Falls when the accident occurred.
Three passengers, including 69-year-old David McMinn (left), 66-year-old Olive Geldart (right), and 6-year-old Ra’Mari Geldart (center), were struck by an oncoming train.
‘North Tonawanda Police and Fire Departments responded and did everything they could to help save the three people inside the vehicle. “Despite their best efforts, all three occupants were pronounced deceased at the scene,” police said.
Chrissy Galla Reid witnessed the accident and told him WGRZ It appeared the truck was stopped on the tracks due to another traffic incident on Felton Street.
He said a police car was parked behind a disabled vehicle on the Felton Street side, near the swing arm of the railroad track.
“They got pretty close to where the emergency vehicle was,” Reid said. “And I thought, ‘Why would anyone pull and sit on the train tracks?’
Authorities confirmed Sunday that the traffic stop was occurring on the other side of the tracks, but are investigating why the truck stopped on the tracks.
The North Tonawanda Fire Department said they found the victims tightly trapped in the vehicle and called for additional rescue equipment and all available personnel off duty.
“Suddenly I hear the train horn. She was screaming, “Move! Oh my God, move!” She simply folded the truck around the front of the train.
Authorities confirmed Sunday that a traffic stop was occurring on the other side of the tracks, but are investigating why the truck stopped on the tracks.
The North Tonawanda Fire Department said they found the victims tightly trapped in the vehicle and called for additional rescue equipment and all available personnel off duty.
“I can tell you that everyone is hurting,” said Keith Glass, Chief of the North Tonawanda Police Department.
‘I’m not doing very well. Fortunately, this week we got help, the fire department, the police department and the paramedics will sit down with the counselors and we will all get through this.
No injuries were reported among the 21 passengers and crew members of the train, according to WKBW.
North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec said the police department is investigating the incident and is committed to transparency.
All three victims were trapped at the River Road railroad crossing onto Felton Street in North Tonawanda (pictured)
In January, a 29-year-old woman died after being struck by an Amtrak train when her 2021 Hyundai Elantra stopped on the tracks in North Tonawanda.
“My office is treating this matter with the utmost seriousness,” Tylec said.
“We are in constant communication with our department heads, state and local officials, the governor’s office, CSX representatives and other key parties to explore measures to prevent these types of tragedies in the future.”
“To the families and friends of those we lost, words cannot express the depth of our pain and we offer our deepest condolences,” the mayor said.
This is the second time a vehicle has been hit by a train in North Tonawanda this year.
On Jan. 16, a 2021 Hyundai Elantra driven by a 29-year-old woman stopped on the tracks on Witmer Road near River Road and was struck by an Amtrak train, WGRZ reported. She died from her injuries in the hospital.