Shortly before noon last Wednesday, Aug. 12, Hugo Chief of Police John Mitchell confirmed two men perished early Wednesday morning, when they were working on a railroad car at Trinity RailCar in Hugo. Mitchell said a number of law enforcement, fire and EMT officers converged on the plant (Hugo PD, Hugo Fire Dept., Choctaw County EMS, Choctaw County Sheriff’s Dept., and Oklahoma Highway Patrol) Wednesday morning. “We got there as Trinity employees and Hugo Fire Department officers were removing the two men from one of the cars. It was about half-in and half-out of the building,” Chief Mitchell stated. Both were said to be unresponsive and were transported to Choctaw Memorial Hospital in Hugo and declared deceased.”

Ted Kendrick, of Fort Towson, Okla., passed away Aug. 6, 2020, at the age of 74.