For the second time in as many months, a popular personal trainer has been hit and killed by a train while filming too close to the tracks. Achilles Williams, an Atlanta based trainer and rising YouTube star was apparently not on the tracks, but skipping rope too close to them when he was struck and killed on Tuesday morning. While social media lit up yesterday with reports of his death, it wasn't confirmed until today.
According to a report by USA Today, "The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office has identified the victim as 30-year-old Travis Williams.
Williams, who had changed his name to Achilles Williams, was a personal trainer who often videotaped outdoor workouts for his YouTube channel. Investigators say Williams and a friend were shooting a video near train tracks in Buckhead at the time of the accident. Williams was jumping rope while the friend shot video. Investigators say Williams was not on the tracks, but was close enough to them to be struck as the freight train went by. They say he apparently misjudged the width of the train in relation to the size of the tracks. His friend was not injured but he was knocked down a hill by the impact."
A funeral for Williams has already been planned and a GoFundMe account has been set up to help with the cost of that, with the rest going to help support his 6 year-old daughter. Back in January Greg Plitt, a rising Bravo star and popular trainer was struck and killed by a train while filming a commercial for a sports drink. Sources say that Plitt was trying to outrun the train when he was killed.
Why do you think that train tracks have become such a popular filming location? Is it the perceived and actually quite obvious risk involved? Do you think that maybe powerful men like Williams and Plitt think that a train as the backdrop adds to the adrenaline rush for whatever they are filming? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
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