Goatman Tragedy

A tragedy this week in Louisville, KY as the death of an amateur paranormal investigator highlights the dangers of investigating the strange.

Roquel Bain, 26, of Dayton, Ohio died while looking into the legend of the Goatman.  According to reports, Bain and her boyfriend were in town to take a haunted tour of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium.  Since they had time before the scheduled tour, they decided to make their way to train tracks reported to be the location of goatman sightings.

The creature, also known as the Pope Lick Monster, is reported to be half man-half goat and purportedly tries to lure people to their deaths on the trestle over the Pope Lick Creek.
Legend states that when one crosses the trestle from one side to the other, the Goatman will appear.  Many people believe the tracks are no longer in use, but this is far from the case as trains regularly cross the creek at this point.

Bain and her boyfriend walked out on the trestle, not realizing the tracks are still active.  While on the tracks, they spotted a Norfolk Southern train heading their way.  Realizing they didn't have time to make it off the trestle to safety, they elected to hang off the side until the train passed.  In their attempts, Bain was struck by the train and fell an estimated 80 to 100 feet.  Her boyfriend survived with no injuries.

Deputy Coroner Jack Arnold reported that the woman died of multiple blunt force injuries suffered in the collision and subsequent fall from the railroad trestle. 

Area residents are disturbed at the number of problems that have arisen from stories of the goatman and people trying to access the trestle to investigate.
A chained fence and warning signs are in place to deter people from entering the area.

Area resident Michelle Burns stated:

"I see a train pass every thirty minutes or so.  It's shocking, people hear about so many deaths and they still take the risk.  It's sad, I pray for the family, my thoughts are with them, but I wish that people would think about what they're doing before they do it--it's definitely dangerous."

Many locations connected to paranormal and supernatural reports are filled with hazards and dangers.  While reality television portrays investigating such things as exciting and easy, Bain's tragic death should serve as a warning to those interested that such field work can be filled with danger and should not be taken lightly.

While some recent reports are claiming that the Goatman has taken another victim, this is more likely a tragic accident resulting from interested explorers being uninformed about area conditions.

If you chose to work in this field, please taken proper precautions and safety measures.