Tributes flow for Rockhampton train crash victim Chris O’Brien

The 43-year-old southeast Queensland man killed in a train incident near Rockhampton is being remembered fantastic father, husband and down to earth bloke.

Friends and family have shared touching tributes for the 43-year-old Margate man killed in a tragic rail incident near Rockhampton on Friday.

Chris O'Brien, of Margate, died on Friday following a crash between two trains at Westwood near Rockhampton.

Preliminary investigations indicate that about 11.40am two trains collided, one an empty locomotive travelling westbound and the other also travelling west loaded with coal.

Three workers were injured and Mr O'Brien sadly died at the scene.

 

Margate man, Chris O'Brien is being remembered as a great dad and husband. He was tragically killed in a train incident near Rockhampton on June 18, 2020. Photo: Facebook

 

 

Mr O'Brien's wife took to social media with a touching tribute to her husband.

"It is with extremely heavy hearts and absolute devastation that I share that my amazing husband Chris tragically passed away in a rail incident near Rockhampton yesterday," Mrs O'Brien wrote.

"The sadness myself, our beautiful daughters and family have cannot be put into words.

"Our everything is gone."

Mr O'Brien and his wife owned the Newsagency at Kings Circle Caboolture for many years.

"Together they made you feel like family when you walked in," Kathy Lewis wrote on Facebook.

Charmaine Masters said it was a tragedy: "Chris and Tiara were just beautifully people who were so welcoming. Chris will definitely be an angel."

AB Parker said Mr O'Brien was always "happy, polite and a friendly guy".

 

 

Emergency services at the scene of a train collision at Westwood, west of Rockhampton, on June 18, 2021.

 

 

"Only this week gone I witnessed him helping an elderly lady with her shopping bags to her car. RIP, you will be missed," he wrote on social media.

Scott Lutcyche went to school with Mr O'Brien at St Columban's Caboolture.

"So sorry for your loss," he wrote.

"I went to high school with Chris and recently caught up with him at our reunion. I'll always remember him as a respectful, good man who cared for others. What a tragic and sudden loss."

Mark Ainsworth said Mr O'Brien was one of the "best, most down to earth blokes" you could ever meet.

"He had a great sense of humour and always friendly to everyone he met."

Forensic Crash Unit investigations are continuing.

Originally published as 'Our everything is gone': Touching tributes for fatal train crash victim