Man Looking For "Ghost Train" Killed By Real Train In Iredell County

Early on the morning of August 27, a man who was with a group of about 12 people looking for a legendary “ghost train” in Iredell County suffered fatal personal injuries when he was struck by a real train.

The incident took place on a train trestle near Buffalo Shoals Road around 2:45 a.m.

The train was rounding a curve on Bostian’s Bridge over Third Creek nearly two miles west of Statesville.

Iredell County Sheriff Phillip Redmond said that 29-year-old Christopher Kaiser was pronounced dead at the scene and two others were injured. Kaiser’s body was located down a steep incline below the trestle.

The two injured persons received air transport to a local hospital. Their condition was not immediately made available.

Sheriff’s officials say witnesses said they were at the scene hoping to see a “ghost train” and believed the real train to be that train.

The sheriff said the incident took place on the anniversary of a train wreck that took place at the same location on August 27, 1891. Since that fatal crash, a legend came about of a ghost train playing out the deadly scene on each anniversary.