UPDATE:
New details in a tragic train accident during an annual veteran's parade in Texas. We're learning one of the wounded warriors who died is from Perry County.
First Sergeant Major Gary Stouffer was one of four victims killed after their float was hit by a train Thursday.
The 37-year-old is a Newport native. He was injured by an IED during a tour in Afghanistan. Stouffer leaves behind a wife and two children. He was also in line for the purple heart.
Now, check out the animation that recreates the accident. The truck was traveling behind another group of veterans and was trailed by a police car.
As the truck went across the tracks, witnesses said that the train signal sounded and the guard rails started to come down on top of the flat bed.
Some witnesses say the driver started to cross the tracks before the truck in front had moved away. If true, the driver may have violated federal safety regulations.
"I heard the blaring of the horn and um right after that the train slammed into the tractor trailer," stated eyewitness Joe Cobarobio.
One of the Marines onboard is being hailed as a hero for pushing his wife to safety. Several other people hurt are still recovering.
The investigation is ongoing.
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The tragic accident in Texas that killed four men on Thursday included a local man. The accident occurred when a float carrying war veterans in a parade was struck by a train.
Gary Stouffer, whose parents live in Newport as well as his family, was in Texas for a hunting trip that he called a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Sgt. Maj. Gary Stouffer, 37, joined the Marines in college and served in Albania, Kosovo and twice in Iraq. He was injured during a tour in Afghanistan when an IED hit his vehicle during a resupply mission.
Stouffer was thrown inside the vehicle but didn't realize the extent of injuries until he returned to the U.S. After nine months of tests, he was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and compression fractures in his neck and lower back.
Two years after the explosion, he was still undergoing speech and physical therapy, while waiting to find out if he had to take a medical retirement or could stay in the Marines on limited duty.
His dream was to serve for 30 years, he wrote for Show of Support. But, "after 17 awesome years, right now I will be happy to just see my way to officially retiring at 20 years."
Stouffer also was waiting for approval for a Purple Heart. He had been married to his wife, Catherine, for 16 years and had two children, Shannon, 16, and Shane, 12.
He particularly had been looking forward to the hunting trip.
"I have always enjoyed the outdoors and how it makes me feel," he wrote, adding that, "It has always been a dream of mine to hunt in Texas."
New details in a tragic train accident during an annual veteran's parade in Texas. We're learning one of the wounded warriors who died is from Perry County.
First Sergeant Major Gary Stouffer was one of four victims killed after their float was hit by a train Thursday.
The 37-year-old is a Newport native. He was injured by an IED during a tour in Afghanistan. Stouffer leaves behind a wife and two children. He was also in line for the purple heart.
Now, check out the animation that recreates the accident. The truck was traveling behind another group of veterans and was trailed by a police car.
As the truck went across the tracks, witnesses said that the train signal sounded and the guard rails started to come down on top of the flat bed.
Some witnesses say the driver started to cross the tracks before the truck in front had moved away. If true, the driver may have violated federal safety regulations.
"I heard the blaring of the horn and um right after that the train slammed into the tractor trailer," stated eyewitness Joe Cobarobio.
One of the Marines onboard is being hailed as a hero for pushing his wife to safety. Several other people hurt are still recovering.
The investigation is ongoing.
___________________________________________
The tragic accident in Texas that killed four men on Thursday included a local man. The accident occurred when a float carrying war veterans in a parade was struck by a train.
Gary Stouffer, whose parents live in Newport as well as his family, was in Texas for a hunting trip that he called a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Sgt. Maj. Gary Stouffer, 37, joined the Marines in college and served in Albania, Kosovo and twice in Iraq. He was injured during a tour in Afghanistan when an IED hit his vehicle during a resupply mission.
Stouffer was thrown inside the vehicle but didn't realize the extent of injuries until he returned to the U.S. After nine months of tests, he was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and compression fractures in his neck and lower back.
Two years after the explosion, he was still undergoing speech and physical therapy, while waiting to find out if he had to take a medical retirement or could stay in the Marines on limited duty.
His dream was to serve for 30 years, he wrote for Show of Support. But, "after 17 awesome years, right now I will be happy to just see my way to officially retiring at 20 years."
Stouffer also was waiting for approval for a Purple Heart. He had been married to his wife, Catherine, for 16 years and had two children, Shannon, 16, and Shane, 12.
He particularly had been looking forward to the hunting trip.
"I have always enjoyed the outdoors and how it makes me feel," he wrote, adding that, "It has always been a dream of mine to hunt in Texas."