Candlelight vigil for train and bus collision victims

The Biloxi community comes together to heal in the wake of last Tuesday’s fatal accident at one of the city’s railroad crossings.
It’s been almost a week since a fatal train collision took the lives of four bus passengers and the tragedy is still fresh on the minds of community members. John Kemp witnessed the crash. He said, “I haven’t been able to sleep because there was a gentleman on the bus that was unconscious that got gurnied out. A young lady from that area just told me last night that he actually is still living. He is severely injured, but I haven’t been able to sleep for the entire time. I got sleep last night for the first time.”
On the day of the accident, many residents stood beside the tracks, watching helplessly as a nightmare became reality. Now they’re standing in the same place again, this time to remember the lives that were lost. Biloxi resident Valeria Sidney said, “It makes us feel real good and we are glad to be here giving our support to the families who lost their loved ones that were involved in the tragic accident.”
Jerome Harrison, the man who organized a vigil, says God put the four passengers that lost their lives and their families on his heart. “My brother had called me and told me what had happened. A train had hit a bus and he said four people had got hurt and they were, you know, laying them out and so I just broke down and cried. It really touched me when he told me that.”
Harrison also hopes this vigil allows the community to move forward. Biloxi Mayor Andrew ‘FoFo’ Gilich says this is a step in the right direction. “I think so. I think now we get a chance to take our breath and the gravity of what happened. We’re gonna make some things good happen. This is one of the good things. We’re bringing everybody together and remembering everyone in prayer and especially the people that lost their lives.”