'Survivor: Blood Vs. Water’ Star Caleb Bankston, 26, Killed In Train Derailment
The “Survivor” family has lost one of its own in former contestant Caleb Bankston.
According to reports from TMZ, the 26-year-old “Survivor: Blood vs. Water” reality TV star perished in a tragic work-related train accident in Alabama Tuesday.
Bankston, who starred on the Season 27 of CBS’s “Survivor” with his fiancé Colton Cumbie, was reportedly killed while riding a train that derailed while on duty at the Alabama Warrior Railway Tuesday afternoon. He worked as a locomotive engineer/conductor for the Birmingham-based line, and was reportedly “crushed” while inspecting a small space between two cars.
“Cops say the rear car slammed into the forward car with Bankston caught helplessly in between,” reads the report. One other worker was aboard at the time of the derailment but was not injured.
The cause of the derailment is unknown. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration are aware of the incident.
“Caleb was an amazing man and friend,” contestant Aras Baskauskas, winner of “Survivor: Panama,” told People magazine Tuesday. “[He was] one of the sweetest and most sincere humans I’ve ever come across. I am guttered by his loss. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
“Survivor: Blood vs. Water” featured previous "Survivor" contestants competing alongside their loved ones. Bankston starred on the series with Cumbie, who appeared in Season 24 “Survivor: One World” in 2011, and ultimately placed ninth.
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