- Thomas Cramp's death was ruled a suicide, while the deaths of his father and brother were ruled accidental by the Bucks County Coroner's Office.
- Christopher Cramp was a beloved Bucks County employee who worked with the homeless and mentally ill.
- The Amtrak train was traveling from Boston to Richmond, Virginia, and none of the 236 passengers and crew members were injured.
BRISTOL — A beloved Bucks County employee and his two sons have been identified as the local residents struck and killed by an Amtrak train Thursday night.
Two of the deaths have been ruled as accidental and one suicide, according to a Bucks County Coroner press release Friday. All three men died of blunt impact injuries, the release said.
The deceased are identified as Bristol resident Christopher Cramp, 56; David Cramp, 31; and Thomas Cramp, 24. The youngest Cramp's death was the one ruled as the suicide.
The coroner's release did not describe the circumstances of the deaths, and Bristol police Chief Joe Moors did not immediately respond to a text message on Friday asking about them.
Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia on Friday called Cramp's death a major blow to the community. He worked extensively with people who are homeless and dealing with mental illness.
"This is truly devastating to the people of Bristol, to employees that worked with Chris in the county and to so many unnamed people whose life he changed," Marseglia said.
The county sent crisis workers out to the accident scene Thursday night, Marseglia said. Its first responder crisis team called all first responders involved in the accident investigation.
Cramp worked as a project coordinator in the operations section of the county's housing and community development department ins September. His job involved community engagement and outreach to homeless people with mental illness with services.
He previously worked as a certified peer specialist for Penndel Mental Health Center, where he also did mental health outreach with the homeless.
The investigation led by Amtrak police is continuing into the accident, which occurred shortly after 6 p.m in the 800 block of Prospect Street near the Bristol train station, according to an Amtrak spokeswoman.
Moors said Thursday night that a sergeant was responding to a call for someone on the train tracks shortly before 6 p.m. was climbing the hill leading to the rail line, but did not get to the top before the Acela train struck the men.
Amtrak train 85 was traveling from Boston to Richmond, Va. when three individuals on the track came into contact with the train, according to the spokeswoman. The train came to a stop near the Golden Eagle Diner at Bath Street and Bristol Pike, according to witnesses.
"This is an absolute tragedy, " Moors said late Thursday night. "This is a horrifying tragedy."
Moors confirmed all three victims are adults, "local people" and part of a "big family," but declined to provide more information.
There were no injuries to the 236 passengers and crew members on the train, according to the transit company.
Amtrak lines between Philadelphia and New York reopened shortly before 11 p.m. SEPTA's Trenton Line was back up and running as of 11:30 p.m. Thursday, the transit agency said in a social media post.
Bystanders said that the men accessed the tracks via the Trenton-bound side, which is not fenced off and is just high brush compared to the other side, where a fence was put in after a prior incident years ago.
Somber residents gathered on a grassy lawn beneath the glowing Grundy clock tower. Few had details about the fatal accident. Most simply watched rescuers move up and down a short stretch of southbound track near an overpass at Jefferson Avenue and Garden Street.
One resident, who declined to be identified, said they saw a young male up on the tracks near Jefferson and Garden streets who appeared agitated, and an older male came and was following him while talking on the phone.
A third male then came and attempted to help when all three were struck and killed, according to the resident.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
If you need to talk to someone, help is available
NAMI Bucks County Support Groups: namibuckspa.org/support.
NAMI Bucks County Emotional Support WarmLine: 215-343-3055, option 1, from 3-10 p.m. daily.
Text or call 988 24/7 for crisis and emotional support.
The Lenape Valley Foundation 24-hour crisis line can be reached at 1-800-499-7455.
Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
