(The following story by Cathy Spaulding appeared on the Muskogee Phoenix website on June 3.)
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Richard O. Eldridge spent nearly his entire adult life working for the railroad.
He died Sunday afternoon after being struck while repairing a railroad crossing arm in Tulsa.
Eldridge, 53, was working on the gate of a crossing arm at 4600 S. Mingo Road in Tulsa when a vehicle driving south on Mingo Road struck him at around 2:15 p.m., said Tulsa Police Department Public Information Officer Jason Willingham. Eldridge was taken to St. Francis Hospital, where he died of his wounds, Willingham said.
He said the driver — Cleo Hawkins, 78, of Tulsa — said the sun was in his eyes and did not see that the gate was down. Willingham said the driver struck the signal gate and Eldridge was thrown to the side.
Mark Davis, public information officer for Union Pacific, said signal workers also work on high grade crossings. He could not say how long Eldridge had worked for the railroad, or even confirm his name.
“Our thoughts go out now only to his family and friends, but also to his co-workers,” Davis said.
Dennis Beck, a representative for the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen said Eldridge had been with the railroad for 35 years. Eldridge’s son, Richard W. Eldridge, also worked for Union Pacific Railroad, according to a 2004 wedding notice.
Services for Eldridge will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Shiloh Baptist Church under the direction of Bradley Funeral Service.