A six-year-old boy and his grandparents were killed in an Amtrak train crash in upstate New York after getting stuck on the tracks at a railroad crossing – as the couple’s daughter broke her silence about the tragedy.
The family’s Dodge pickup truck turned off River Road onto Felton Street in North Tonawanda and got caught on the train tracks as the railroad gates closed around them shortly before 8 p.m. on Friday.
Three people in the car, David McMinn, 69, Olive Geldart, 66, and Ra’Mari Geldart, 6, were struck by an oncoming train.
‘Some of you may know and some of you may not, but I lost my mom, my dad and my great nephew on Friday night. I won’t go into details at the moment,’ their daughter Amber Evelyn Louise said on Facebook.
‘Marla lost her son; her baby boy, and she’s gravely grieving his loss like I’m sure most couldn’t imagine.
Dodge pickup truck was struck by a train in North Tonawanda after it got caught on the train tracks as the railroad gates closed around them on Friday
‘I have some help in getting funds together for my mom, and Dave is being taken care of by his family. Please share or give anything if you can to help with the cost for Ra’Mari’s funeral.’
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for Ra’Mari, another has been organized by Kelsey Kuhn for Amber to assist with the costs of the funeral for Olive.
‘They were wonderful caring selfless human beings who would give their shirt off their backs for anybody.
The most kind hearted people you would have ever met. This is beyond tragic and I’m just trying to raise money for them for all the expenses,’ Kuhn told DailyMail.com
The Amtrak train was going from New York City to Niagara Falls when the crash happened.
Three passengers, including a David McMinn (left), 69, Olive Geldart (right), 66, and Ra’Mari Geldart (center), 6, were struck by an oncoming train
‘The North Tonawanda Police and Fire Departments responded and made every effort to help save the three individuals inside the vehicle. Despite their best efforts all three occupants were pronounced deceased at the scene,’ police said.
Chrissy Galla Reid witnessed the crash and told WGRZ it seemed like the truck stopped on the tracks because of a separate traffic incident on Felton Street.
She said a police car was parked behind a disabled vehicle on the side of Felton Street close to the rail road track swing arm.
‘They pulled pretty decently close to where that emergency vehicle was,’ Reid said. ‘And I thought, ‘Why would anybody pull and sit on the railroad tracks?”
Authorities confirmed on Sunday at traffic stop was taking place 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 heavily entrapped in the vehicle and called for extra extrication equipment and all available off duty manpower
‘All of a sudden, I hear the train horn. I was screaming, “Move! Oh my God, move!” It just folded the truck around the front of the train.’
Authorities confirmed on Sunday at traffic stop was taking place 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 heavily entrapped in the vehicle and called for extra extrication equipment and all available off duty manpower.
‘I can tell you everybody is hurting,’ Keith Glass, Chief of the North Tonawanda Police Department, said.
‘I’m not doing great. We got help luckily coming this week that the fire department, police department and EMT’s are all going to be sitting down with counselors and we’re all going to get through this.’
No injuries were reported among the 21 passengers and crew on the train, according to WKBW.
North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec said the police department is investigating the incident and is committed to transparency.
The three victims got caught in railroad crossing off River Road onto Felton Street in North Tonawanda (pictured)
In January, a 29-year-old woman was killed after getting hit by an Amtrak train when her 2021 Hyundai Elantra stop 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, local and state officials, the governor’s office, CSX representatives, and other key parties to explore measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.’
‘To the families and friends of those we lost, words cannot express the depth of our sorrow 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 January 16, a 2021 Hyundai Elantra driven by a 29-year-old woman had come to a stop on the tracks at Witmer Road near River Road and was struck by an Amtrak train, reported WGRZ. She died from her injuries at the hospital.