Teen struck by train passed away one day before 16th birthday
TEXAS CITY, Texas (FOX 26) — The Texas City Independent School District mourns the tragic loss of a third student since the start of the new year. Jason Trevino, 15, of Texas City, died on Thursday morning after he was struck by a train near the intersection of State Highway 3 and FM 1756.
Trevino lived on Timothy Street, just across from the railroad tracks. His great aunt, Lupe Ochoa, tells FOX 26 News that he was headed home like he always does, pushing his bicycle across the train tracks on a small path that cuts through the grass.
"The gentleman across the street gave him a bike and he would ride it to school,” says Ochoa.
Police say it was just after 6 p.m. on Wednesday when the train hit Trevino and his bike. Ochoa says he died in the hospital at around 2 a.m. Thursday. She also says her great nephew was headed home from one of his many extracurricular activities when the accident happened.
Trevino helped out with the high school basketball team, played football, did a lot of volunteer work, and was very involved at Gulf Coast Foursquare Church.
"He loved the church," adds Ochoa. “He did homeless breakfasts. He was a good kid. You couldn’t find too many like that. Not at those ages.”
The sophomore at La Marque High School was raised by his aunt after a rough start to his childhood. He was so adored by the staff at La Marque High that they filled his hospital room overnight as doctors fought to keep him alive.
"All the teachers and stuff, they were there," says Isabel Torrez, Trevino's great aunt. "The teachers, the superintendent, they were all at the hospital with us.”
Ochoa says Trevino didn’t own headphones, nor did he own a phone, so he didn’t have ear buds in when the train went past just as he was crossing the tracks. His birthday is on Friday, Jan. 25 and he would have celebrated his 16th birthday.
"All the ministries that Jason did volunteer have actually called us, and they’re actually bringing birthday cakes and stuff to the house for the family," adds Torrez.
"Jason wanted people to know that he would always be there for you, so he’ll be watching now over his family,” says Ochoa.
Union Pacific railroad police are in charge of the investigation of the deadly crash. A spokeswoman tells FOX 26 it is working with Texas City police to determine more about the circumstance that led up to the collision.
Trevino’s family plans to celebrate his birthday with a balloon release on Friday. His cousin says the teen was a big Seattle Seahawks fan, so if you want to bring balloons to the release, bring Seahawks balloons.