CRESTVIEW — Four people walked on a train trestle that crosses Yellow River on Tuesday before they heard an oncoming train that sent two residents to the hospital, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities identified Mindy Raven Sabor, 22, and John Frank Sabor, 29, as the pair who received injuries after crossing a no trespassing sign to walk on the trestle. Tonya Davis and Tiffany Brown crossed the trestle before the train arrived, according to an OCSO incident report.
“Mindy and John were unable to exit because they didn’t judge the train’s approaching speed. As the train approached, Mindy and John were able to make it to the river bank but (were) still on the trestle trying to stay as far to the side of the tracks as possible in order to avoid being struck,” the report said. “Mindy was struck by a portion of the train and knocked from the trestle to the river bank below approximately 15 feet. John continued to hang on until he was also struck in the back and knocked to the same location.”
The train’s conductor and engineer said they noticed four people attempting to get off the trestle. “The other two were still on the trestle as they approached. As they passed, they noticed the two remaining fall from the tracks down to the river,” the report said.
The conductor and engineer stopped the train and called 911.
Mindy Sabor received serious injuries; John Sabor’s injuries were minor, the OCSO report said.
The train, with four locomotives and 58 freight cars, was traveling from Waycross, Ga., to New Orleans at the time of the incident, a CSX Corporation representative said.
The incident was reported at 1:54 p.m. Authorities responded at 2:07 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Update: 4 people were on Crestview train trestle before accident