16 July 2009
IC&E Deaths Stun Residents of Railroad Town Savanna
Savanna Illinois USA - Although Savanna's years as
a bustling rail hub are over and there are more railroad retirees in town than active workers on trains, the community's roots in the
industry run deep.
That is why the deaths of Andrew Reed and Josh Osborn - two local railroad workers who died Tuesday when the Dakota, Minnesota &
Eastern Railroad train they were operating collided with a group of stationary cars in Bettendorf - stunned many Savanna residents.
"It hits so close to home because everybody is affiliated and has been for years with the railroad," said Robin Carroll of
Savanna.
The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the accident.
Carroll was tending bar Thursday afternoon at the Savanna Veterans of Foreign Wars club, where the 27-year-old Osborn,
who served in the Marine Corps during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, had once been a member.
Among a small lunch crowd was Jared Harder of Savanna, who worked for the railroad for 40 years before retiring. Harder said while the
job can be dangerous and injuries are common, it had been many years since he had heard of a local railroad employee being killed in a
railroad accident.
Carroll said the VFW post would provide a color guard for Osborn's service on Saturday.
"It's sad to think (Osborn) made it through Iraq and came home to start a family, and that's it," Carroll said.
Pam Brown, executive director of the Savanna Chamber of Commerce, said she was acquainted with both families, and Osborn and Reed had
other relatives who worked in the railroad industry.
Brown said the community is still feeling the shock of the accident.
"It's one of those accidents that you think will never happen and you pray will never happen to your family," she said.
Dave Baisden, a counselor and head football coach at West Carroll High School in Savanna, was an assistant football coach at what was
then Savanna High School when Reed, 27, attended school there and played football before graduating in 2000.
Baisden said Reed was a great athlete on a team that had little success, but he always had a positive attitude.
Baisden said Reed was personable and well-liked both as a high school student and an adult and loved boating on the
Mississippi River.
"He always had a smile on his face," Baisden said.
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