FREMONT, Ohio (WJW) – It started as a normal walk on a bike trail Sunday night for 15-year-old Tyson Kieffer of Fremont, Ohio.
“We just got to the end right by the bridge, and that’s when we saw the families yelling to the ones still on the bridge,” said Kieffer.
Kieffer said a family of four was walking on a bridge off Hayes Avenue in Fremont. The bridge is used only for trains.
That’s when he saw a train coming onto the span.
“I’d say the train was probably 10 feet away, and then they finally jumped. As soon as I saw people hit the water, I just ran,” said Kieffer.
Kieffer said he ran into the Sandusky River and swam out until the water was chest deep.
“I saw a little purple jacket and thought, that’s a baby. And that just shook me, and I went and got the baby. You could see her go under and go back up. And when I got to her, she was leaning back, and that scared me. I got her up, and I could tell she was breathing,” said Kieffer.
The 1-year-old girl was the only survivor.
Police said her 34-year-old mother and 50-year-old grandmother died as a result of the accident.
On Monday afternoon, her 5-year-old sister’s body was recovered underneath the bridge where her family was struck.
Authorities said the details of what happened are still under investigation.
Police said the family from Fort Wayne, Indiana, had been on a fishing trip along the Sandusky River.
Fremont Mayor Danny Sanchez said he did not think the family was fishing off the bridge when the train approached.
On Monday night, a memorial continued to grow.
Rail operator Norfolk Southern said in a statement that the company was deeply saddened by the tragedy and is working with authorities on the investigation.
Meanwhile, Kieffer said he’s thankful he was in the right place at the right time for the baby girl.
“I just want to know if she’s OK because that was so scary. She was so little; it just broke my heart seeing her like that,” said Kieffer.
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