(Jackson County, Missouri – May 8, 2011)
A 23-year-old man, one of three fishermen attempting to cross Union Pacific Railroad’s bridge over the Blue River near Atherton, Missouri, was killed about 7:30 P.M. Sunday when he was unable to escape a Union Pacific train.
The other two men were able to run off the bridge, but the as-yet unidentified victim tripped and fell onto the railroad tracks as the train approached. Atherton is in northeast Jackson County on Union Pacific’s River Subdivision which parallels the Missouri River between Kansas City and Jefferson City.