A man is dead after his vehicle was hit by a Trinity Railway Express train on Saturday afternoon.
It happened at 12590 Calloway Cemetery Road in east Fort Worth shortly before 2:30 p.m. The train was headed from Dallas Union Station to T&P Station in downtown Fort Worth.
Friends and family of the victim are devastated by the deadly accident. Several friends and co-workers identified him as Mohamed Tayeeb. They said he helped manage a trucking company at an industrial yard adjacent to the railroad crossing.
Following the crash about a dozen family members and friends gathered at the accident scene. Many were overcome by grief and shock at the scene.
"It is a big loss, absolutely," said Adam Farayra.
Farayra knew Tayeeb for more than 15 years.
"He's a great friend, always there for his friends," Farayra said. "Type of guy that would take his shirt off his back for a friend or even just volunteer for anybody, he's a great guy,"
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Fort Worth Police say he made a deadly mistake on Saturday. As a witness told them he drove around one of the railroad crossing gates and pulled out in front of the westbound TRE train, going westbound himself.
"It's very important when the barricades are down to pay attention to that and not go around them," said Lt. Fred Long, of Fort Worth Police. "Even if you think you have the time, you might not and the cost of that is extreme."
Long says it's the kind of accident that will stick with responding officers as much as it will for those on the train. There were 150 or so passengers onboard when the accident happened. No one was hurt, although one man complained of chest pain but was checked and cleared. Passengers had to wait nearly two hours on the tracks before investigators and rail personnel cleared them to head to the next station.
"I just saw car parts flying and I knew right then there was a car on the track," said Adrian Oliver.
"It felt just sort of like the train sort of bounced a little bit but the train just kept going like it hit nothing," said Dan Marti.
For those gathered at the accident scene to mourn their friend, Tayeeb was everything. He was considered a good boss and a great friend who always put a smile on people's faces.
"Excellent friend, great family guy," Farayra said.
Tayeeb leaves behind a wife and 12-year-old son.
TRE passengers on other trains were bussed between the Centreport and Bell stations while the track was closed for the investigation. Trains were running through the area though by Saturday night.
