Oct 3, 2005 By Angie Santello 4 min read

NORTH UNION TWP. – A 48-year-old Gibbon Glade man was found dead in Redstone Creek Saturday night in the identical location where 20-year-old April Lynn Lincoln was discovered dead almost two months ago, according to state police and the county coroner. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Philip Reilly identified the man as Arnold R. Brant, the victim of an accidental drowning.

Brant was found with part of his upper body and head was submerged in the shallow, unmoving water of the creek. Fayette County Deputy Coroner Jeff Sakaguchi pronounced him dead at the scene at 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

According to Reilly, Brant fell 12 to 15 feet from a railroad trestle where dual tracks run, one a spur with uplifted tracks, the other a railroad line that leads into Uniontown. He speculated that Brant could have lost his balance and toppled into shallow and murky creek waters, drowning facedown in nearly a foot of water.

The water, debris and rotten wood laying at the bottom of the gap the dual tracks form cushioned the man’s fall, he said.

“He fell in the space between the two trestles and two bridge portions,” Reilly said. “It would not be difficult to fall or loose balance. …The unexplained part is why didn’t he help himself?

“He had no skull fractures,” Reilly continued. “Why didn’t he help himself and get up?”

A small fire built from a mound of scrap wood the night before continued to burn a railroad tie at the location and send a white plume of smoke into the sky above the area sectioned off by two drapes of crime scene tape.

Access to the area can be gained from a litter-strewn, well-trodden pathway in which tire tracks can be evidenced in the ash, or from walking the tracks.

The ash path runs along a third set of railroad tracks located behind abandoned warehouse buildings at the dead-end of Askren Street, a side street to Gallatin Avenue.

For less than eight hours, Brant was exposed to water, Reilly said. According to the coroner’s report, two males supposedly found Brant’s body. He said he does not know whether the men were with Brant at the time of his death, or if they found his body after he had died.

Investigating officer, state police trooper Thomas Broadwater, said the man’s body was found in the same “exact” spot in Redstone Creek as Lincoln’s body was discovered the evening of Aug. 17.

But, unlike Lincoln’s death, foul play or criminal conduct is not suspected in the incident. A CT Scan proved negative for foreign materials, such as bullets, in the man’s body, while a full autopsy came back negative for criminal conduct or foul play, Reilly said.

Reilly said he suspects alcohol as a factor in the death, although the toxicology reports expected to be done this week will show whether or not the man was under the influence of alcohol at the time of his death.

A beer can was found in the water near the body, but whether the can is recent or from long ago is hard to determine, Reilly said.

“It’s going to take time to put together, but for now it appears it was a tragic accident and the influence of drugs or alcohol is not known,” Reilly said.

The investigation into Brant’s death is ongoing. Crawford Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

According to Roger Victor, field investigator with the Fayette County Coroner’s office, the death is the third that has occurred within the last year at the same location. In the fall of 2003, 43-year-old Henry Schaffer of Uniontown died by accidental drowning at the spot. No foul play was suspected in that death as well, said Victor.

Each death warns of an inherent danger at the location and of the inappropriateness of using the area for a hang-out spot or for using the railroad tracks as a shortcut, Reilly said. Plus trespassing at the location is illegal since the tracks are private property owned by the railroad, he added.

“It’s a hazardous situation,” Reilly said. “It’s not like trespassing through two adjoining backyards. …It’s the wrong place to hang out or to take a shortcut, and, in the dark, it’s five times worse.”

Reilly noted the lack of a continuous line of railroad ties and the absence of a guide rail or walkway, safety hazards that should send a red flag to those who frequent the location to choose a safer place and path.

“This is extremely dangerous,” Reilly said. “One misstep could cause a fall.”

“There’s no paved bridge, walkway or lighting. You could be sitting on the concrete abutment and stumble into dark down into the stream,” said Reilly.