On October 4, Indiana teens 14-year-old Charlie Pease and his older brother 17-year-old Skyler Robertson were fishing near some train tracks. After about 20 minutes, they found themselves in danger.
“We didn’t hear the train, we didn’t see any lights, we didn’t even feel it shaking on the track,” Robertson said.
The older brother safely got to a cement slab, but knew time was running out for Pease, and told his younger brother to jump. As Pease got ready to leap, he looked back, and the train clipped his left side, sending him flying into the water.
Robertson then jumped into the river after his brother, and pulled him up. Rescue crews arrived shortly, and airlifted Charlie to a nearby hospital. The accident fractured his left leg, broke several ribs, and injured his spleen.
“He was able to make it to the hospital and get treatment before anything got worse on him,” said Eaton Police Department Assistant Chief Kevin Roberts.
Amber Trammell, the boys’ mother, felt relieved after wrapping her head around the situation, believing that if Charlie had jumped, he might have been hurt even worse than he had been.
“I’m thinking if the train wouldn’t have hit him he wouldn’t have made it because the way of how he flew over the river was so shallow that he would’ve landed on rocks,” she said.
Trammell also knows just how lucky her children were, and that they’ve learned a lesson they won’t forget soon.
“It’s a miracle, an absolute miracle,” said Trammell. “God had a hand in this.”
Kids and teens love to go fishing, as data shows that in 2013, 10 million youths between the ages of six and 17 went fishing. Though incidents like this are rare, it nevertheless demonstrates the importance of teaching kids to be safe when they go fishing.
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation offers several safety tips, such as:
- When out on a fishing boat, wear a life jacket
- Pay attention to the weather
- Bring along extra safety items such as water, flashlights, maps, and a cell phone or radio
- Always wear appropriate foot gear
- Stay dry, and stay warm
- Use appropriate sunscreens and insect repellent
- Keep fishing knives sharp
- Handle fish carefully
- Use caution when baiting and removing hooks
Lastly, the RBFF also advises against fishing in areas where it’s not permitted. When choosing a place to go fishing, the RBFF urges considering all safety factors, such as the possibility of a train coming.