A Boy Scout from Wisconsin on the Amtrak train that derailed when it collided with a dump truck in Missouri comforted the truck driver before the man died, the scout’s father told The Post.
Dan Skrypczak, who is the Scout Master for Appleton Troop 73, said in an interview Monday night that his 15-year-old son Eli ran to the driver’s side once he escaped the wrecked train and found the man. dumped in a ditch.
“He’s fine. He’s shaking now that the adrenaline has worn off,” Skrypczak said of his son. “When we finally spoke to him, he was pretty upset, I wish I could have done more.”
“I was just trying to explain to him that you get hit by a high-speed train, no one could have done much for the truck driver. He did everything he could, he did the right thing, he provided comfort and help.”
Eli and 15 other scouts, as well as eight adult leaders, were on the train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when the train crashed into the truck at a public highway crossing. The two scouting troops were heading home to Wisconsin after a 10-day backcountry excursion in New Mexico, said Skrypczak, who was not on the trip.
The driver’s death was one of three fatalities from the collision, while dozens were injured, including three of the adult leaders and a scout, according to officials and Skrypczak.
The train was carrying 243 passengers and 12 crew members.
Skrypczak said his son found the man in a ditch and called a state patrol officer once first responders arrived at the scene. They tried to stabilize him, but the man succumbed to his injuries, the father said.
“He’s a typical 15-year-old, he thinks he’s Superman, he should have been able to save this guy,” the father said.
Later, while passengers were still being helped off the train, a woman arrived who apparently knew the driver and wanted to see his covered remains, Skrypczak said.
“He said that a lady was really upset and they didn’t let her see the body… but that shocked him too,” he said of his teenage son.
Eli, who has been in the scouts since first grade, was one of several scouts who sprang into action to help passengers after the derailment, Skrypczak said. A handful were able to get off the train and then helped as much as they could.
They told him that the explorers were spread throughout the train, including in his seats, in the dining room, and on the observation deck.
An explorer was trapped in a train bathroom for 35 minutes, trapped by the weight of one of the passengers who died in the incident and was against the door, Skrypczak said.
He heard that some of the explorers helped first responders restrain passengers as they were placed on backboards and directed to ambulances.
“Any scout leader sees kids keeping their cool and being part of the solution rather than the emergency itself, I think any scout leader would be proud of that,” Skrypczak said. “And I am.”
“I’m very, very happy with how they behaved, how they behaved in that situation,” he said. “Obviously very sad about what happened and I can’t wait to hug my son.”
Reference-nypost.com