A 15-year old boy died while train-hopping Thursday night in northeast Minneapolis.
Chris Hanson, sophomore at Columbia Heights high school, died while train jumping Thursday night. Hanson and a friend boarded a train successfully on the tracks near their home. The friend was able to jump off the train without incident. Hanson, however, lost his life.
According to police, a railroad employee found the boy around 10:20 p.m., near 14th and Fillmore Street NE. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Hanson died of head injuries, Kare 11 reported.
Melissa Standal, Hanson's mother, told the Star Tribune that she had just talked to her son about the dangers of train-hopping on Wednesday. Standal said Hanson and his friends had made a game out of hopping on and off trains.
There were six fatalities last year involving trespassing on railroad property, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
Standal gathered with friends and family Saturday afternoon at the site of the accident.
She hopes that this will serve as a lesson to other teens.
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