The brother of one of the men killed in Sunday’s Amtrak crash in South Carolina said safety on the rails was among his sibling’s biggest concern.
“He said, ‘One of these times, something’s going to happen, and I’m not going to come out of that,'” Rich Kempf said of his brother Michael Kempf.
Michael Kempf and Michael Cella were the two Amtrak employees killed when their Miami-bound train collided with a CSX freight train in Lexington County. More than 100 people were injured in the crash.
Rich Kempf said his brother, a 20-year U.S. Army veteran and father of three, had experienced multiple crashes with either pedestrians or vehicles that left him rattled.
Related: Amtrak collides with freight train in South Carolina, killing two, injuring more than 100
“Since he’s been with Amtrak he’s probably — he was in three or four incidents with people walking on rails, not pay attention, getting run over by the train or cars trying to beat the train,” Rich Kempf said. “… There were a few fatalities in those and they took a toll on my brother.”
Amtrak sponsors Operation Lifesaver, a railroad safety campaign, which estimates a person or vehicle is struck by a train every three hours in the United States.
“We will continue pressing U.S. policy makers to adequately fund the FRA Rail Crossing Grant Program to reduce the 2,000+ annual railroad crossing incidents and 200+ railroad crossing deaths in the U.S,” Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson said in a statement. “With significant federal infrastructure investments, the industry can substantially reduce rail crossing incidents.”
Michael Kempf went to a psychiatrist for what his brother suspected was post-traumatic stress disorder, and often talked to about his concerns over Amtrak’s safety, Rich Kempf said.
Related: Lack of Positive Train Control haunts another deadly collision
“He told me, he said, ‘One of these times something’s going to happen, and I’m not going to walk away from it.’ He actually told me that and it happened,'” Rich Kempf said.
The family of Michael Cella, the other employee killed, said they are also reeling from the death of their relative.
“Everyone is still shocked from this incident,” Gary Hazel Jr., Michael Cella’s step brother, told NBC News.