Memorial Run In Ellicott City Honors 2 Young Women Killed In Train Derailment
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- The tragic deaths of two teens are remembered a year later. The college students were killed in a train derailment in Howard County.
Linh Bui reports family members and the community came together Saturday to honor the young women.
The worst train incident in Ellicott City's history. One year ago, a CSX train derailed and sent 21 cars off the tracks, spilling tons of coal into streets, sidewalks and the river.
Caller: "I'm in Ellicott City. The train fell over."
911 Operator: "Where is this, sir?"
Caller: "This is Ellicott City, off Main Street. The train fell off the tracks."
Rose Mayr and Elizabeth Nass, both 19, were sitting on the railroad bridge. They were killed, buried under the coal.
"We really thought we wanted to do something for the families," said Rusty Allwein, organizer.
Saturday, a memorial run in Ellicott City honored the young women. Organizers called it "Two Miles for Two Hearts."
"It's awesome that we all come together and do something positive to help support other people," said Sylvia Pugliese, runner.
And the support was overwhelming. More than 600 runners and walkers came out. The turnout was much larger than expected.
"We had to turn a lot of people away. You could tell people were just eager to support the event," said Allwein.
The event honored the victims and left a legacy.
Proceeds went to the Elizabeth Nass Scholarship Fund and the Rose Mayr Nursing Scholarship.
Their deaths deeply touched many in the community.
"How could we not reach out to them? Everyone's a parent, or a lot of people are parents. And our hearts go out to them," said Pugliese.
Organizers hope this becomes an annual event, turning a tragedy into something positive.
Part of the proceeds from the run also went to Howard County fire and rescue services. Meantime, CSX is still investigating the accident.
