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Coroner: Excessive speed caused Upstate mini-train fatal crash
Posted: 05.23.2011 at 7:30 AM
Updated: 05.23.2011 at 5:10 PM
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SPARTANBURG (WHNS) -- The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office said Monday its investigation found that excessive speed caused the fatal derailment of a miniature train in Cleveland Park two months ago.

Benji Easler, 6, of Gaffney, was killed when the train derailed in March at Cleveland Park. Nearly 30 other people, mostly children, were hurt.

Investigators said that the train's speed was estimated at 20 mph in the curve where it left the tracks overturned into a creek. They said the manual for the train operator said 8 mph is the top speed to be used in the curve.

Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger said his office will turn over its findings to the Solicitor's Office, which will ultimately decide if any charges will be filed in connection with the crash.

Many of the victims of the crash were members of Corinth Baptist Church in Gaffney. Youth Pastor Nathan Ellis said learning how and why the crash happened will help many people move on. He said he hopes the victims will get the financial help they need for their recovery.

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The incident report said that the conductor, Matt Conrad, told police as he was loaded into an ambulance that he knew better than to drive the train that fast.

"I was going too (expletive) fast," Conrad told police, according to the incident report.

Conrad told police that when he crossed onto the bridge he felt the back end of the engine come off the track, according to the incident report. The report stated Conrad told police the train then came off the rails and fell into the creek below.

Labor, Licensing and Regulation Department Director Catherine Templeton said that an inspector from her department, Donnie Carrigan, had inspected the train a few days before the derailment. She said Carrigan did not check the speed of the train because the battery was dead, but turned in a completed report. She said that Carrigan was fired.

Templeton said that Carrigan had checked the same train several times before and there had been no reports of problems.

(WHNS and FoxCarolina.com contributed to this report.)

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