An online effort is underway to raise money for the funeral of James Wilson, 16.
A Go Fund Me account has been set up for contributions for Wilson's funeral.
Candles, flowers and notes filled with condolences marked the railroad crossing Thursday afternoon, Aug. 13, where a 16-year-old Banning High School student lost his life after being hit by a train.googleoff: all
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James Wilson, the subject of numerous social media pages remembering him and raising money for his funeral, was
apparently walking home from school Monday afternoon when the accident occurred. Monday was the first day of class for Banning High, which is several hundred yards south of the railroad tracks on San Gorgonio Avenue.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
Although Banning Unified School District representatives weren’t available for comment Thursday, school officials have been reiterating since the accident a message to not test the trains, according to interviews with students on the website of the CBS television affiliate in Palm Springs.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
As with many regions of Riverside County, Banning has a history with tragic deaths tied to the rails, Mayor Debbie Franklin said Thursday.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
A number of years ago, in two separate instances, she said motorists attempting to go around crossing arms warning of passing trains have been killed. In recent years, the City Council has taken up the concern at several meetings, Franklin said.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
A $30 million construction project is under way at the railroad crossing and Sunset Avenue to have traffic on Sunset pass beneath the tracks. Using a combination of city, county and state funds, the project has been planned for many years.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
Franklin said the railroad and Hargrave Avenue is on the list for the next over/underpass project, but she said that project likely won’t be done for years.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
To her knowledge, San Gorgonio is not on such a list.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
Exactly what happened Monday afternoon is still being investigated by Union Police Railroad police, railroad spokesman Francisco Castillo said Thursday.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
He said Wilson was with a group of students walking north from the high school about 1:55 p.m. when he was hit. Wilson’s father, James Wilson Sr., told the CBS television affiliate in Palm Springs that James jumped out of the way of the train and made it, but that his backpack became stuck and he was hit by the train.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
Castillo said railroad police are reviewing video footage from the accident. All locomotives are equipped with video for situations like this, he said.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
“It’s an unfortunate case and our hearts go out to the friends and the family of the young boy,” Castillo said.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
Wilson died after being taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Desert.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
Like Banning school officials, Castillo drew attention to the dangers of not heeding the warnings of train signals, which Castillo said were all operational at the time of the accident.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
Though Franklin couldn’t say for certain, she said she thinks railroad crossing safety will likely be a subject of an upcoming council meeting.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
“Our thoughts are with the family and his friends,” Franklin said. “It’s just a tragic situation and we do feel for the family. It just shows that we need our kids to be careful.”