Sixteen-year-old John DeReggi was posing for photos with his girlfriend and her twin sister when tragedy struck. The teens were working on a photography project in rural Maryland in September 2015, taking pictures on empty railroad tracks. The theme was “youth and the pathway yet to come.”

As they laughed and played on the rails, an Amtrak train approached at over 70 mph. The wind pushed the girls back, but John was hit as he tried to jump away. “He wasn’t reckless, but he loved adventure,” his mother, Christine, said. “The moments before my son died are beautiful… you can see he’s at peace.”

Christine said it was nearly a triple tragedy, as the train’s width almost pulled the girls in. Similar accidents have happened before — in 2011, three teenagers in Utah died after being struck by a second, unseen train while taking photos.

This heartbreaking loss is a reminder that even seemingly quiet train tracks can turn deadly in seconds.