WAXHAW, N.C. — A 6-year-old boy is being hailed a hero after his hobby helped prevent a train derailment in downtown Waxhaw.
Graham Huntley is happiest when he’s tracking and watching trains.
Channel 9’s Eli Brand asked the boy why he loved trains so much.
“That when I wave at them, they wave at me back,” Huntley said.
On Monday, Graham’s parents said he was able to turn his train watching hobby into a big help.
They say he spotted a tree laying across the tracks in downtown Waxhaw and immediately let someone know, especially because a train was coming.
Huntley’s warning allowed someone to call ahead and warn the conductor. Witnesses say the train stopped just feet from the tree.
“Of course, we were so proud of his observant nature, but I think the biggest thing is he was able to learn, you see something, you say something,” the boy’s mom, Amber Huntley, said.
She says she goes train hunting with him on a regular basis, but she says the man Graham warned summed up the entire experience.
“That I saved the day,” Huntley said.
Huntley said he is an aspiring conductor and will continue riding and watching trains with his family in his spare time.
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