Brothers Jose Chilambalam Tiquiram Us and Pablo Tiquiram Us, of North Carolina, were lighting candles to pay a tribute to him as best as they could on the tracks, authorities said.
Two brothers from North Carolina were hit and killed by a train in the same spot where they were mourning their brother who had been fatally struck one week prior, officials said, according to a published report.
The bizarre and tragic incident happened early Tuesday when officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) responded to a call regarding two people who had been hit by the LYNX Blue Line train near South Boulevard and Hebron Street, according to police, the Associated Press reported.
When officers arrived both of the men, Pablo Tiquiram Us, 29, and Jose Chilambalam Tiquiram Us, 20, were found near the tracks unresponsive. Emergency personnel pronounced them dead at the scene.
At a Wednesday press conference, CMPD Sgt. Adam Jones described the incident as “tragic” and said that the two brothers had been memorializing their brother on the one-week anniversary of his death in the spot in which he was killed when they were both struck by the train. He said both of the brothers succumbed to their injuries.
“There was a level of impairment involved,” Jones said. “They were lighting some candles to pay a tribute to him as best as they could on the tracks.”
Through their investigation, he said though their partnership with CATS Light Trail train video evidence suggested that the victims were standing on the tracks when they were struck. And, said he did not yet know how long the brothers had been on the tracks before the deadly collision but said that they appeared to look at the oncoming train before they were hit.
During the briefing he said that the track's safety mechanisms, including the crossing arms and flashing lights that warn of an approaching train, were working properly at the time of the crash, Jones said.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family,” Jones said. “I cannot imagine losing three of your children and three of your siblings within a week to such tragic circumstances.”
On July 26, Baltazar Tiquiram Us, 27, was driving his Toyota Tundra when he was struck by a light-rail train. According to the Charlotte Area Transit Authority, the crash occurred around 9:50 p.m. when a southbound LYNX Blue Line train and the pickup ”made contact at the Hebron Street grade crossing,” The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
According to a preliminary investigation, “the driver of the Toyota drove around the crossing arms and into the path of the Light Rail train,” police said, the Observer reported.
The passenger, who was in the vehicle at the time of the deadly crash was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, People reported.
Jones concluded the briefing by urging those not to drink and drive.
“I would like to stress to our citizens use a rideshare, have a designated driver, or stay where you are,” Jones said.
