(Spartanburg, South Carolina – August 18, 2012)
Barely a week after a strikingly similar tragedy in Colorado, another promising, competitive golfer – this time at the collegiate level – has lost a leg in an encounter with a train.
Christopher Joye Jr., 20, of Irmo, SC and a member of the Wofford College varsity golf team in Spartanburg, SC was believed to be walking back to the Wofford campus from downtown when he was tragically struck by a Norfolk Southern freight train near the intersection of Magnolia Street and Daniel Morgan Avenue sometime before 4:30 A.M Saturday. The conductor of an NS train reported seeing someone wearing a bloody shirt near the tracks about that time, and Spartanburg Police responded.
Officers stopped all trains and searched near the tracks until they discovered the victim, with his right leg severed above the knee, and lying about 10 feet from the tracks behind a signal control box. His shoes, wallet and cell phone were found about 100 yards away from where they found him, and his severed leg was found nearly 300 yards down the tracks.
Joye was taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, where he was admitted in undisclosed condition.
Wofford Terrier Golf Coach Vic Lipscomb said that Joye “is a tough young man who has a long recovery ahead.” He further commented that the Terrier team had suffered a tragic loss, and asked that all concerned to “Please keep him in your prayers.”
