Though the sun shone on Bergen this morning, there was little joy in the tiny village of 1,200 people.
The community laid to rest one of its youngest members today, Eric. C. Wall, 16, who died Friday afternoon in a tragic and ultimately unexplainable accident
An overflow crowd filled the Methodist Church for an hour-long service.
After the service, Pastor Michael Merry spoke with reporters and said though it is a sad day, it's also a day of hope.
"I see hope in a community that has come together," Merry said. "I see hope that we can maybe find a way to prevent this kind of tragic death from happening again."
On Friday afternoon, at about 2:45, Eric was on his way home from school with two friends. When they got into the village, the three boys went their separate ways and Eric apparently decided to try and run across the train tracks. It's impossible to know what he saw or what he thought. There was a CSX train coming from the west and an Amtrak train coming from the east. Eric was first struck by the passenger train and then by the cargo train. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"This has been very difficult for the community to cope with," Merry said. "Perhaps the most difficult part -- as you can just hear -- is the train whistle in the background. We have about 70 trains per day come through here. It's going to be hard to get that sound out of our heads. I think this is a day of healing, but as we hear that train go by, we will also remember."
Merry said Eric was memorialized during the service as a kid who made people laugh and stuck up for weaker, picked-on classmates, and would stand up for what he believed in.
"We will mourn his loss," Merry said. "He will be missed in all kinds of ways."
On Saturday, Eric's brother planted an apply tree in the little park near the train tracks. The tree was a gift from the community. At 9 a.m., Monday, the tree will be dedicated in a community service. Merry asked that the media let the community have a quiet, undisturbed ceremony.
For more coverage from The Batavian's news partner, WBTA, click here.
