New Jersey dentist killed by train in Port Kent

Local News

Related Photos

A trooper walks down the tracks near where A man was struck and killed by a train in Port Kent Thursday afternoon. (Staff Photo/Kelli Catana)

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

April 30, 2009

<a href="mailto:avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com">By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG</a> The Press Republican Thu Apr 30, 2009, 09:37 PM EDT

PORT KENT — A New Jersey dentist was killed Thursday afternoon when an Amtrak train full of passengers hit him as he fished off railroad tracks here.

State Police said Dr. William Bodnar was fishing off a small bridge over the Ausable River around 2 p.m. when the southbound Amtrak Montrealer train approached the Lakeside Road crossing about a half-mile away.

Witnesses told police they heard the train coming toward the bridge and yelled for Bodnar to jump into the nearby water.

But the 62-year-old vacationer didn’t move from the trestle and was struck by the train’s engine.

He was killed upon impact.

The train was carrying 80 passengers and four crew members. No one in the five passenger cars was injured.

The accident brought State Police troopers and investigators, along with Canadian-Pacific Railway police, to the area for several hours and delayed the train’s travel until about 5 p.m.

Clinton County Coroner David Donah, along with Keeseville and CVPH Medical Center emergency-medical personnel, also responded to the accident.

Bodnar had been vacationing in the area when he headed out for an afternoon fishing excursion.

Police said an autopsy will be conducted at a later date.

The train was heading downstate from its earlier stop in Plattsburgh and continued its route after the accident.

E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:

avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com