The Theodore, Alabama, community is mourning the deaths of James Cobb, 41, and Suzanne Wages, 44, following a fatal collision involving an Amtrak passenger train.
The crash happened shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday, September 24, near the intersection of Bellingrath Road and Peary Road in Theodore, according to Mobile police.
Authorities said an Amtrak train traveling toward Mobile struck a vehicle at the railroad crossing. Police reported that the crossing arms were down when the vehicle went around the barriers and entered the tracks.
The impact caused extensive damage to the vehicle, with reports stating that it was split apart by the collision. Emergency personnel responded to the scene, and the roadway was closed while investigators worked to document the crash.
Mobile Police Department identified the driver as James Cobb, 41, and the passenger as Suzanne Wages, 44. Both victims died in the collision. No injuries among people aboard the Amtrak train were reported.
A family friend, Rev. Leonard Whitfield, also confirmed Cobb's identity to local media and described him as someone he had known since childhood. Whitfield said he had spoken with Cobb shortly before the crash and later recognized the vehicle at the scene. Cobb's family has requested privacy following the tragedy.
The collision occurred at a railroad crossing where another fatal crash involving an Amtrak train happened earlier in 2026. That earlier incident claimed the lives of a mother and her young daughter, according to local reporting.
Mobile police and other responding agencies continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Thursday's collision.
For the families of James Cobb and Suzanne Wages, the crash represents the sudden loss of two lives. Friends and loved ones are now left to remember them and the moments they shared.
