Two Boy Scout troops from Wisconsin rendered aid Monday when an Amtrak train derailed in Missouri, and have received much attention for their efforts.
The train crashed into a dump truck at an uncontrolled crossing, WBAY reported Tuesday, and the scouts from Appleton were riding the train when the incident occurred.
However, the young people instantly took action by breaking windows and assisting other passengers off the train.
One of the boys, a 15-year-old, rushed over to comfort the truck driver in the moments before he died, according to News Nation.
His father, Dan Skrypczak, said his son “immediately started to render aid and comfort,” but “there wasn’t a lot he could do.”
“He was pretty shook up. Typical 15-year-old, thinking he should be able to do what he can to save somebody, and you get hit by a train, unfortunately you’re not likely to survive and we tried to explain that to him. He just felt bad,” he stated:
According to Scott Armstrong, who is director of national media relations with the Boy Scouts of America, there were 16 young people and eight adults on the train when the incident occurred. They belonged to troops 73 and 12.
Photos showed the boys with their fellow scouts:
One of the adults suffered a cracked vertebrae and another had several broken ribs and also suffered a bruised lung. The ones who remained were not seriously injured.
“We had kids in our contingent that had gone to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and had just spent 10 days trekking through the mountains from Troop 73 and Troop 12 in Appleton,” Skrypczak continued.
He received reports from the adults and other passengers that the scouts helped brace people’s necks and strapped them to back boards while EMTs helped those who were bleeding.
The Boy Scouts of America website said the organization teaches young people character development, citizenship training, leadership, and mental and physical fitness.
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