‘They’ve come to help in droves.’ Missouri school gathering spot for Amtrak passengers

Laura Bauer
·2 min read

Dozens of passengers from a derailed Amtrak train in northern Missouri have gathered inside a school in Mendon, a town of less than 300.

Rep. Peggy McGaugh, whose district includes Chariton County where the train derailed, was among those at the school in the Northwestern R-1 School District. She and many others from the surrounding area showed to help.

“It’s a small community. Practically the only thing here is the school,” McGaugh said. “They’ve come to help in droves. I think the people who are here are being taken care of very well.”

Four people died in the crash, and as many as 150 were injured.

Anna Le of Wichita said her hands and knees were muddied as she crawled through the overturned train to escape the wreckage.
Anna Le of Wichita said her hands and knees were muddied as she crawled through the overturned train to escape the wreckage.

Passengers were transported to the school by bus and many taken to area hospitals, McGaugh said. Dozens who were not injured are still at the school where food and drinks have been brought in.

She said that she noticed “a large delegation of Amish people” who were aboard the train and were taken to the school.

Passengers of an Amtrak train that crashed into a truck near Mendon, Missouri, Monday gather in the gymnasium at Northwestern R-1 School.
Passengers of an Amtrak train that crashed into a truck near Mendon, Missouri, Monday gather in the gymnasium at Northwestern R-1 School.

“They are very calm and very appreciative of what the community is doing for them,” she said.

Students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, were also aboard, according to that district’s superintendent.

“I can confirm we had students on the train traveling to a national FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) conference,” said Tim Beying, superintendent of the Easton Unified School District. “I really do not have any further comment at this time.”

Beying would not say how many students were headed to the Chicago conference.

McGaugh said she didn’t know how long the uninjured passengers would be at the school in Mendon. But members of the community are helping out wherever they can to make sure their needs are met while they are there, she said.

“I think this community has stepped up,” McGaugh said. “These people just know how to take care of their fellow man.”