'Absolute tragedy': Homeless advocate and two sons killed by Amtrak train, one by suicide
Mental health advocate Christopher Cramp and sons David, 31, and Thomas, 24, were seen conversing on the tracks when the train killed them. Thomas Cramp’s death was ruled a suicide.
Christopher Cramp was a familiar and admired face in Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, where he served the local homeless population and saved special affection for those dealing with mental health issues. That’s because Cramp had faced similar struggles himself.
The community is now mourning his loss. Cramp, 56, and two of his sons, were killed April 3 when they were struck by a high-speed Acela train headed to Richmond, Virginia, in an incident Bucks County police chief Joe Moors called “an absolute tragedy.”
Police had responded shortly before 6 p.m. to a report of someone on the tracks near the train station in Bristol, a compact, close-knit community of 10,000 on the Delaware River 23 miles northeast of Philadelphia. A Bucks County police sergeant was climbing the hill leading to the tracks but was unable to reach the summit before the train struck the three men just after 6 p.m.
Along with the elder Cramp, David Cramp, 31, and Thomas Cramp, 24, died of blunt force injuries, according to the Bucks County coroner. Thomas Cramp’s death was ruled a suicide.
Bystanders told the Bucks County Courier Times, part of the Paste BN Network, that the men had accessed the tracks from the side set off only by high brush. One said a young male on the tracks appeared agitated as an older male approached and followed him while speaking on the phone. A third male appeared and attempted to help when the three were struck by the train.
An Amtrak spokesperson said none of the train’s 236 passengers and crew were hurt. Amtrak police are investigating and have not confirmed the circumstances of the incident.
Road to recovery begins
In a first-person story written for the county’s community support program newsletter in 2015, Christopher Cramp had shared details about his own mental health struggles, noting how he’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2001.
It was when the father of five began to experience suicidal thoughts after a work injury in 2010 that things “started to fall apart,” he wrote. On his road to recovery at Penndel Mental Health Center, a staff member suggested he consider training as a certified peer specialist.
Eventually, Cramp did and was soon working for the center, helping people on the streets deal with similar struggles. Last year, he was hired to do the same as a project coordinator for the Bucks County Department of Housing and Community Development.
Nicholas Emeigh, director of outreach and development for NAMI Bucks County, said the position was Cramp’s dream job. Cramp, he said, was passionate about his work, never missing a suicide prevention event and saving “countless lives” with his outreach.
“He connected with people in a really unique way,” Emeigh said. “He was able to make people feel safe. ... Everyone loved him.”
Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia called Cramp’s death “truly devastating.”
“He had a knack of talking to people who are in the worst predicament of their lives and giving them hope,” Ellis-Marseglia said. “He understood how to work with people in the system.”
'You just have to keep moving forward'
Erin Lukoss, CEO of Bucks County Opportunity Council, said Cramp could be tough and unrepentant but was deeply vested in his work.
“He was an advocate for people without a voice,” Lukoss said. “Chris was loud and unafraid to ruffle feathers. He said what was on his mind and he did not really care who he angered as long as his point was getting across that people needed help.”
A GoFundMe campaign created to help with the family’s funeral expenses had raised more than $43,200 as of April 13.
In the first-person newsletter article, Cramp said the peer specialist class course he’d taken as he started his new career path “taught me so much about how I would like to recover and how I can help others do the same.”
“There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s your recovery,” he wrote. “You just have to keep moving forward toward it day after day.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services.
(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.)