1 Earlham student killed, 2 hurt in train crash

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP / WISH) - A small college in eastern Indiana says a student from suburban San Francisco was killed and two others hurt when they were hit by a train while walking near a group of nightclubs.

Richmond police Capt. Bill Shake says investigators didn't immediately know how the three Earlham College students came to be hit while walking about 1:15 a.m. Friday near the city's depot district.

Earlham officials identify the student who died as senior Therese Heymann of Burlingame, Calif., and say the two injured students were airlifted to a Dayton, Ohio, hospital. Classes at the Quaker-affiliated college of about 1,200 students were suspended for Friday. The injured students were identified as sophomore Lenore Edwards and senior Graham Nissen.

Nissen is from Columbus, according to 24-Hour News 8 news partner The Republic , and was a 2009 graduate of Columbus East High School. He was reported to be in good condition Friday afternoon, the newspaper said. The Associated Press reported Edwards was in critical condition. 

Mark Blackmon, director of media relations with Earlham, called the accident "almost unfathomable." The school's website said there will be a place for students and community members to gather at Stout Meetinghouse and the College Dining Hall. "Its one of those tragedies that kind of shakes everyone to the core really," say Blackmon. "Of course a pervasive sadness on campus today as you might well imagine."

Earlham College is one of 4 Richmond universities part of an event on Thursdays called College Night in the Depot District. Earlham provided shuttle transportation to and from the area near the city's downtown. Blackmon says, he's unsure whether Earlham College will continue.