By Chad Love

Trains aren't generally what first come to mind when listing potential threats to hunters in the woods, but that's exactly what happened this week to a New York state hunter who was tragically struck and killed by a train while rabbit hunting with a group of friends.

From this story in the Jamestown (NY) Post-Journal:

A hunter was killed by a train Tuesday morning in the town of Portland. The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office was called to East Forest Avenue at 9:20 a.m. after a train hit a person walking on the tracks. According to Sheriff Joseph Gerace, Giovanni Faso, 68, of 206 Heat St., Tonawanda, was hit by the train while hunting. The collision threw Faso almost 30 feet from the tracks. Gerace said five hunters from the Tonawanda area were rabbit hunting near the Norfolk and Southern train tracks at the time of the accident.

"Three of the five were off in the brush north of the tracks," he said. "The victim and another hunter were along the tracks, closer to the tracks, as a train was approaching from the east." Gerace said witnesses reported the train was blowing its warning whistle at the time. Faso was reportedly looking in some brush north of the tracks when he was hit. A friend also reportedly yelled at Faso several times to get further from the tracks, but Faso didn't move. "The victim was standing near the tracks, and didn't move, didn't step off the tracks, and the train struck him and killed him," Gerace said.

Has anyone ever had a close call with a train while out hunting?

Comments (8)

from Mike Diehl wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

Talk about target fixation!

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from Douglas wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

A lease I was hunting on had a CSX track as a boundary. We had a stand right on the edge of the right of way. Those trains made a LOT of noise when passing and just observing those swaying chemical cars as they passed on rotten cross ties made me want to stay off of there.

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from Bellringer wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

During my teen years I had several beagles to run rabbits, one of them got hit and killed by a train.

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from seadog wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

I nominate Mr Faso for the Elmer Fudd award.

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from Mibasshunter wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

I thought hunter's were supposed to be aware of their surroundings when they are hunting. This guy must have seen a rabbit the size of a bear to not hear a train.

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from country road wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

I had to sprint off a trestle once, sort of like the scene in the movie "Stand By Me", but not nearly as dramatic---I actually could have bailed off the trestle at any time, but didn't want to get wet and muddy (or possibly break a leg). It was exciting and the engineer got to blow his whistle a lot.

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from RockySquirrel wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

Something else is going on here. There has to be much more to this story. Did the guy have a stoke in place? Cancer and was looking to leave some life insurance? All we know is he was hit and killed by a train. Not why?

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from bounty1 wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

For sure RockySquirrel.. If this is true, I'll say suicide. Things just don't add up.

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from Mike Diehl wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

Talk about target fixation!

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from RockySquirrel wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

Something else is going on here. There has to be much more to this story. Did the guy have a stoke in place? Cancer and was looking to leave some life insurance? All we know is he was hit and killed by a train. Not why?

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Douglas wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

A lease I was hunting on had a CSX track as a boundary. We had a stand right on the edge of the right of way. Those trains made a LOT of noise when passing and just observing those swaying chemical cars as they passed on rotten cross ties made me want to stay off of there.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Bellringer wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

During my teen years I had several beagles to run rabbits, one of them got hit and killed by a train.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Mibasshunter wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

I thought hunter's were supposed to be aware of their surroundings when they are hunting. This guy must have seen a rabbit the size of a bear to not hear a train.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from country road wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

I had to sprint off a trestle once, sort of like the scene in the movie "Stand By Me", but not nearly as dramatic---I actually could have bailed off the trestle at any time, but didn't want to get wet and muddy (or possibly break a leg). It was exciting and the engineer got to blow his whistle a lot.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from bounty1 wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

For sure RockySquirrel.. If this is true, I'll say suicide. Things just don't add up.

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from seadog wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

I nominate Mr Faso for the Elmer Fudd award.

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