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Royal Gorge Route Conductor Falls Out Of Carriage, Dies After Train Runs Over Her

By Ny MaGee
Published on: 14:15 PST, May 29, 2016

A Royal Gorge Route Railroad conductor fell out of a carriage and died after being run over Saturday night. KKTV.com reports that Fremont County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the death of 28-year-old Leslie Cacy, who fell off the back of the train from a door opening. Cacy was the conductor of the scenic route in Colorado, authorities said. The train was 4 miles away from the station when she fell off.

Investigators say there were around 200 passengers on the train at the time, and that they were let off the train around 9 p.m, nearly three hours after Cacy’s fall. “We saw the engineer of the train, he was in the grass next to the train holding his head screaming. There were people running over to him and assisting him, helping him stand up. Then it became apparent something really bad had happened,” Passenger Cynthia Brier said.

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad trail travels along the deep canyon outside Canon City, which is about 45 miles from Colorado Springs. Cacy is from the area, and CNN notes that her husband has been notified by the Fremont County coroner that her body will be undergoing an autopsy next week.

“You could see a lot of the paramedics coming up and they were being restrained. Obviously they knew her. It was horrifying experience and we just feel horrible for the family and definitely will be keeping them in our prayers,” Brier said.

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad has operated trains on a scenic ride for 17 years. In a statement on its Facebook page about Cacy’s death, the railroad said the following.

“We are absolutely devastated by the loss of our team member who died yesterday in an accident on the train. We have been working around the clock with authorities to figure out exactly what happened. Right now, our focus is on helping the Fremont County Sheriff’s office do its job, and taking care of our team. We will not be running the train for the next few days, and anyone with reservations will be refunded or may reschedule. We are a family run business, and our team members are like family to us. Our hearts are broken. We will share more information as soon as we have it.”

According to several outlets, investigators and medical crews are at the scene gathering more information, and no further details about the tragedy have been released. At this time, investigators say no foul play is suspected. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad said on Sunday it has suspended service for the next several days as the investigation continues.

Passenger Brier said that train’s staff went above and beyond to take care of the passengers. “The staff, they were wonderful. There were several kids on the train in our car alone, screaming crying, they fed everybody and made sure everyone had drinks. They even brought in a service dog to comfort the children,” she said.

The conductor fell out of the carriage around 5:30 p.m. and died, according to investigators. Cacy was standing at the back door of the train as it was backing up into the station when she fell out of a door and into the path of the train. Investigators do not believe drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad has offered refunds for current ticket holders, or they can use their tickets at a later date.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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