Babysitter Arrested In Zephyrhills Train Accident

Babysitter Of Two-Year-Old Killed in Zephyrhills Train Accident Arrested

Pasco Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a woman in connection with the death of a two-year-old child hit by a train on Dec. 12, 2016.

Heather Henderson was arrested Wednesday and is looking at charges for aggravated child neglect with great bodily harm. Henderson was the babysitter of the child and his siblings.

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Original Story:

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a deadly train accident that killed a two-year-old in Zephyrhills.

Hunter Fink, 2, was walking with his babysitter, Heather Henderson, 26, when he was hit by a trail in the Pattie Road and Paul S. Buchman Highway area just before noon on Monday.

Fink’s 4-year-old sister and Henderson’s 27-year-old friend Cody Williams were walking with him and Henderson along the CSX train tracks when he was struck.


Fink and Henderson were flown to area hospitals. Fink died from his injuries shortly after arriving at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa.

“It’s a tragedy, there’s no other way to say it,” Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said to Daily News. “There’s a family that is suffering greatly right now. This family is going through a lot.”

When Williams and Henderson realized there was a train coming, Williams grabbed Finks 4-year-old sister and jumped off the bridge to safety. Nocco said it was about an 8 foot jump off the bridge. Henderson was holding Fink and was unable to jump out of the way.

Deputies said the bridge is located after a sharp turn, which would explain why they didn’t see the train coming.

“The conductor started laying on the horn, he did everything he could to warn them,” Nocco said to the Daily News.

Pasco County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating this tragedy. It is unclear at the moment if Henderson or Williams will be facing any charges. CSX is also launching an investigation into the incident that involved one of their trains.

“If there’s anything that could be taken from this is that playing on these tracks is not a game,” Nocco said to Daily News.