Officials: Man died of head injuries

BONNERS FERRY — When Boundary County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 5 a.m. Wednesday call for a dead body along the train tracks south of Bonners Ferry, they had a mystery on their hands.

That’s because the head injuries that killed 25-year-old Dustin Dodge of Naples were not consistent with someone being hit by a train, chief deputy Rich Stephens said Thursday.

“They were consistent with someone falling,” Stephens said.

Investigators soon learned Dodge wasn’t alone when he jumped from a northbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe going 40 to 45 miles per hour. His cousin, Jebediah Burney, 19, of Naples had also jumped, yet survived to tell the story.

“He was completely honest with us and told us what happened,” said Stephens, noting alcohol may have been a contributing factor.

Shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday, Dodge and Burney hopped the stopped train in Naples.

“They got on it with the intention to catch a ride to the Deep Creek area (about 4 to 5 miles away), Stephens said.

Burney told investigators he’d never done this before, but suspected Dodge had. When the train didn’t slow down about one mile north of Deep Creek, as they expected, the pair jumped.

“They were thinking it was going to slow down at some point,” Stephens said. “Those tracks go through some tunnels and curves there.”

It’s believed Dodge died instantly.

Burney was hurt seriously enough that he wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he got to his feet and started walking along the tracks, Stephens said. He wasn’t sure what had happened to Dodge, although the pair agreed to jump together.

Burney headed to a home in the Deep Creek area.

A train operator spotted Dodge’s body alongside the tracks at about 4:30 a.m. and notified authorities.

Investigators responded and learned from nearby residents that Dodge and Burney would hang out together. They located Burney.

“When we first saw him, he was all black and blue and had a lot of superficial injuries,” Stephens said.

Burney also told investigators what happened.

“He really put it together,” Stephens said. “He seemed very genuine, shocked and surprised.”

Stephens encourages people not to attempt to ride trains.

“I really want to strongly caution kids and adults from doing this, aside from what is portrayed in TV, it’s extremely dangerous,” he said.