A 47-year-old Good Samaritan was declared dead along with two women he had been trying to rescue before a train fatally struck the three of them Wednesday evening.
The victims were identified as 93-year-old Shirley Treadwill, her caretaker Debra Hall, 66, and the Good Samaritan Chris Burkett.
“This reminds us that there is no promise of tomorrow,” Monroe County Commissioner Eddie Rowland said.
The official added that Hero Chris Burkett had recently lost his home and nearly lost his life during a tornado.
“I knew Chris from a tornado that happened a few years back. He was actually involved in that, in that particular area.”
About the two women killed in the crash, Rowland said that the elderly victim was “a pillar of the community.”
“Well-like and always had a smile on her face. We were always happy to see her, and she seemed happy wherever she was at. She was just a glowing lady; We’re going to miss her, and she lived a great life.”
Following a 2020 storm that nearly killed him, Burkett had told a local media outlet that he didn’t want to die that way.
“I just figured this ain’t the way I’m gonna die and good Lord above me it wasn’t,” he said.
