Photo: GoFundMe
Police said Caleb Balaban, 17, of St. Clair, Mo.,died Sundayfollowingan accidentin Castlewood State Park, according to theSt. Louis Post-Dispatchand CBS affiliate KMOV.
Responding to a call Sunday afternoon about a railroad accident, officers from West County Precinct found the victim lying on the ground andpronounced him deadat the scene, NBC affiliate KSDK reported.
An Amtrak spokesperson said the victim was trespassing at the time of the accident, according to KMOV and KSDK.
None of the 123 passengers on the train from Chicago to Kansas City were injured, the outlets reported.
Caleb’s cousin Evnika Oleynik said in the description of a GoFundMe campaign for Caleb’s family that the young man “had great ambitions for his life.”
“He was very charismatic and could always manage to squeeze a laugh out of anyone he meets,” Oleynik wrote. “He radiated joy and happiness.”
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Speaking with thePost-Dispatch, Caleb’s aunt, Anna Gura, said her nephew was with friendson top of a bridgewhen they heard the train approaching, but were unable to determine which direction it was coming from.
The young man had turned 17 on Aug. 16 and was planning on starting a family with a girl he met at a youth summer camp in Indiana, his aunt added.
“He was planning on having a family with her, and he was just picturing a bright future for himself,” Gura said.
Caleb’s older sister Grace Balaban told thePost-Dispatchthat her brother worked for his uncle’s construction company and “was always someone you could count on.”
He also liked to travel, she said. “Going on road trips and blasting some music we could never agree on,” Balaban recalled, adding that her brother “was always down for an adventure.”
St. Louis County police Officer Adrian Washington said Monday that an investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to thePost-Dispatch.
source: people.com
