KANNAPOLIS, N.C.-- The brother of a man who died after an Amtrak train hit him in Kannapolis Friday night, said the victim had a neurological disorder and probably fell on the tracks.
The Amtrak “Piedmont” hit and killed Billy Richardson, 39, and Randy Davis, 52, as they crossed the railroad tracks near their assisted living center on N. Cannon Blvd.
Richardson and Davis lived at Britthaven Rest Home, which allows “competent residents to leave the facility at will,” according to a statement from the facility.
The rest home’s website says it serves people with mental and physical disabilities.
The train’s engineer told police he saw Richardson kneeling on the tracks, and Davis trying to pull him off, just before the train hit the men around 6pm.
Kannapolis Police said the engineer told them he could not stop the train in time to avoid the men.
Brian Richardson, Billy’s brother, told NewsChannel 36 Saturday that his brother suffered from a disorder called AMN which left him unsteady on his feet.
AMN is short for Adrenomyeloneuropathy, a disorder of the spinal cord which can lead to difficulty walking, according to the United Leukodystrophy Foundation’s website.
Brian Richardson believes his brother fell on the tracks and was unable to get up. He believes both men were walking to a nearby convenience store, which they often did together.
Saturday, some neighbors around the rest home questioned the policy that allows residents to come and go as they please.
Anthony Sherald lives across the street from Britthaven, and has seen residents wandering in the road or fallen over in wheelchairs, without anyone around to help.
“We have a few incidents -- people falling out of their wheelchairs into the creek,” said Sherald. “I think it's kind of dangerous for that neighborhood.”
Other neighbors stopped a NewsChannel 36 reporter to tell her their stories of unaccompanied residents wandering in the road and on the railroad tracks.
Britthaven said in a statement that they allow some residents to come and go because they “strive to support a home-like environment.”
But a woman visiting cousins at the home Saturday said she has confidence in Britthaven’s staff.
Vivian Knox has two cousins who are residents at Britthaven, and one of them even worked there before having a stroke.
Knox described the staff as kind, courteous, and helpful.
She supports the open-door policy for some residents.
"Some of them are just fine,” said Knox, “and I think if they really need to go somewhere, as long as they’re in the right mind, they should be able to go."
Brian Richardson echoed that idea, saying his brother made a lot of good friends in the few months he lived at Britthaven.
He said he doesn’t expect the family to pursue any legal case against the home over his brother’s death.
