Carlisle student struck and killed by train remembered as ‘a very good kid’

The teenager had been reported missing sometime after 7 a.m. in the Franklin area by her foster mother, Bruck said.

MORE: Teenage girl hit, killed by train in Carlisle

“We think it was a tragic accident,” Bruck said.

CSX closed the tracks for about two hours as police investigated the scene.

Bruck said it took time to figure out the victim was a Carlisle student. Carlisle Superintendent Larry Hook said school counselors and teachers were informed of the situation. Counselors were mobilized to the high school, and grief counselors will be at the school for the rest of the week and into next week for “as long as it takes,” Hook said.

“Our prayers are with her family,” Hook said. “It’s very sad.”

Hook described Anderson, a sophomore, as “a very good kid who was well-liked and very respectful.”

He said Anderson had been a student at the elementary school, then left the district before returning last year. Hook said Anderson had been placed with that foster family in the past.

A CSX railroad employee reported a person was hit by a train along the CSX railroad crossing at Beachler Road behind Roberts Court around 8:30 a.m., according to Doyle Burke, chief investigator of the Warren County Coroner’s Office.

The pair of east/west railroad tracks is very active with trains coming through hourly, he said.

Burke and neighbors said it was not unusual to see both kids and adults cross the train tracks in the area where the teen was hit.

The girl was pronounced dead at the scene at about 8:48 a.m., Burke said. He said the victim matched the description of the missing teenager and that she was wearing a knit poncho, jeans and gym shoes.

“What we’re doing now is were trying to figure out exactly what happened,” Burke said.

“(It’s) impossible to determine from the injuries whether this was suicide or accident. But the medical exam may glean some more information in that direction.”

Dale Ferris and his wife were in the back of their home near the rail tracks, oblivious to what was happening Tuesday morning until a neighbor rang the door bell.

He said it’s a very active rail track with trains coming through once an hour during the day but slowing down at night. Ferris said one of the tracks is a holding track and the other is a passing track. He said occasionally, there are two trains on the tracks at the same time.

“It’s not unusual for kids coming home from school to walk the tracks full length,” Ferris said. “And lately it’s not been unusual for kids to come and cross the tracks as they drag their bikes underneath the trains.”

He said the residents living near the rail tracks have tried to tell those passers-by they shouldn’t do that. Ferris said it was “a dangerous situation” and they knew something would happen if they kept it up.

“It’s awful sad,” Ferris said.”That’s somebody’s daughter and that they’ll never see her again.”