Man struck killed by train on anniversary of fatal wreck

Credit: photo by: Bruce Matlock

Two warnings: "Extremely Dangerous" and "NO Trespassing" are posted at the foot of the Bostian Bridge. Evidently not enough to deter those set on celebrating the anniversary of the 1891 Bostain Bridge Train Wreck. A train came through the site in the early morning hours and claimed 1-more victim, while injuring 2-others early Friday morning.

By: Donna Swicegood | Statesville Record & Landmark
Published: August 28, 2010

An outing Friday morning to see the reported ghost of a train that crashed in 1891 ended in tragedy for a group of ghost hunters.
Christopher Joseph Kaiser, 29, of Charlotte was pronounced dead at the scene of the famous Bostian Bridge train crash on Buffalo Shoals Road.
A woman, whose name has not yet been released, was airlifted from Iredell Memorial Hospital to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Her condition was unavailable.
Kaiser and others were apparently on the trestle when an eastbound Norfolk Southern train, containing three locomotives and no cars, approached.
Capt. Darren Campbell of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said most of those on the trestle were able to run to safety, but Kaiser and the woman were not. Various reports said Kaiser pushed the woman from the front of the train before being hit.
An ambulance was called to treat a third person. That person was not transported to a hospital.
The train operators tried to stop the train and blew the horn to warn the people on the trestle, Campbell said.
Campbell said a group of about a dozen people gathered at the site on Buffalo Shoals Road shortly before 3 a.m. Friday in what has become an annual ritual for some ghost hunters.
A train fell off the trestle around 3 a.m. on Aug. 27, 1891, killing 30 people. Stories of paranormal activity started on the first anniversary of the crash and have continued since.
In 1991, when the 100th anniversary rolled around, nearly 300 people crowded into the field where the 1891 wreck came to rest to celebrate and, some, in hopes of seeing the ghost train return.
No ghost train appeared that night.
The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, the N.C. Highway Patrol and the Norfolk Southern Railroad Police are investigating the incident.
Campbell said the sheriff’ s office is still hoping to interview those who might have been at the site Friday morning but left before the arrival of law enforcement.
Campbell said the incident appears to be an accident.

Man struck killed by train on anniversary of fatal wreck

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