Scouts and chaperones from two Boy Scout troops based in Appleton, Wisconsin were on-board an Amtrak train when it derailed in Missouri on Monday afternoon.
Those scouts immediately jumped into action, rendering aid to the wounded before first responders were able to arrive on scene.
That’s according to Scott Armstrong, the Director of National Media Relations for the Boy Scouts of America.
“Immediately after the accident, in which a train was flipped on its side, scouts and scouters started rendering first aid and assistance to other passengers to get them out of the train cars and get them to ambulances,” Armstrong told WTMJ.
“One of our scouts, age 15, went forward to the point of impact and discovered a person in a ditch close to the point of impact. It was later determined this was the driver of the truck that was struck by the train. That scout rendered comfort and aid until the driver passed away on scene,” Armstrong said.
The Boy Scout troops were returning from a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico at the time of the train derailment.
Armstrong said he believes that played a part in the response from the scouts and scouters after the train went off the tracks.
“These scouts probably have trained 12-18 months for this, including advanced first aid,” Armstrong said.
“I would put most 15-year-olds with a scouting background up against most 35-year-olds without one.”
“As I like to say, they’re ordinary kids that are capable of extraordinary things. And I think they proved that today,” Armstrong said.
You can listen to the entire interview with Scott Armstrong from the Boy Scouts of America in the player at the top of the page.
UPDATE: Southwest Chief Train 4 Informationhttps://t.co/IAV92iqHuo
— Amtrak Alerts (@AmtrakAlerts) June 27, 2022
