(The Associated Press circulated the following story on July 8.)
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A 15-year-old boy riding his bicycle across train tracks was struck and killed by an Amtrak train, authorities said.
Jonathan Gordon, of Pompano Beach, and an 18-year-old boy were riding their bicycles and trying to “beat the train” around 9 p.m. Tuesday, Broward Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jim Leljedal said.
Witnesses told deputies that when the guardrails started coming down, the boys ducked under and tried to get across the tracks before the train passed.
But Gordon didn’t make it. The train, headed to Miami from New York, struck Gordon and the back of the 18-year-old’s bike, but the older teen jumped to safety. The younger teen landed about 100 yards away, Leljedal said.
The conductor stopped the train, and the older teen ran home and told family members what happened.