MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis family is in mourning after a teenager was hit and killed by a train.
A family has come together in search of strength following the death of Jayden Benton, who died early Friday morning near Haynes and Southern Avenue after being hit by a train.
“It’s like a bad dream at the moment,” Jayden’s aunt Shunta Wright said.
Several rail lines run on the south side of Southern Avenue on the edge of Orange Mound, where a rail yard operated for years.
“When I got that phone call I hollered,” said David Ray Jr., Jayden’s uncle. “I can’t believe it, my oldest nephew just gone. (I’m) still mad, still frustrated. I know he is in a better place.”
Investigators with Memphis Police have not released any details about the accident other than confirming Benton’s death, which has his family calling for more transparency from everyone involved.
“I just really wanna know what actually happened,” Jayden’s aunt Sharon Conley said. “That’s what I really wanna know. The truth, and maybe we will get some kind of closure. His mother will get some kind of closure.”
Despite questions remaining, Jayden’s family chooses to remember the Melrose High School senior as a light that dimmed way too soon.
“He was a happy kid. He was down to earth. He made you smile when he entered the room,” Conley said. “You gone smile because he gone say something funny. He was Jayden.”
Jayden’s family has started GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.
The Norfolk Southern railroad said Monday that the incident has been reported to the Federal Railroad Administration and the company is conducting its own investigation in cooperation with local authorities.
“Train tracks are not a safe place for the public and everyone should use the utmost caution when approaching them,” a Norfolk Southern spokesman said.