Survivor: Blood vs Water star Caleb Bankston dead at 27 after he is crushed between two train cars while working at Alabama coal plant

• Bankston was standing on a rail car as it was backing up and derailed Tuesday at a coal plant in Birmingham, Alabama
  
• He was thrown from the car and crushed to death
• He worked as an engineer and conductor on the Alabama Warrior Railway
  
• He competed in Survivor: Blood vs Water last year with his fiance Colton Cumbie and came in ninth
• Colton reportedly tweeted 'I wish it was me' after the fatal accident
  

By Colette Fahy and Michael Zennie

Published: 23:56 EST, 24 June 2014 | Updated: 17:18 EST, 25 June 2014

A contestant on Survivor: Blood vs Water has been killed in an industrial accident after he was crushed by a derailed train car while working at a coal plant in Birmingham, Alabama.

Caleb Bankston, 27, competed in the 2013 reality show with his fiancé, Colton Cumbie. He was eliminated on day 32 of the show, finishing ninth.

Bankston was killed Tuesday afternoon while working on the Alabama Warrior Railway, where he was a train engineer and conductor.

The Birmingham News reports that he was standing on the ladder of a hopper car and directing an engineer who was backing up a train when the car suddenly derailed at the Walter Coke Plant in Birmingham about noon Tuesday.

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Tragic: 27-year-old Survivor contestant Caleb Bankston passed away on Tuesday following an accident at the Alabama Warrior Railway where he worked

Devastated: According to Twitter users, Colton Cumbie [L] wrote 'I wish it was me...' after his fiance died 

Archive: Meet Survivor: Blood vs. Water Caleb & Colton

The derailment threw Bankston from the train car and the car fell on him - crushing him.

Birmingham police told MailOnline that he was dead when officers got to the scene.

Caleb and Colton were reportedly due to wed in October.

Colton's Twitter account is protected but according to other users he wrote, 'I just wish it was me....' soon after news of the tragedy broke.

His followers rushed to offer him support with  ‏@Cajunbubbles writing '@ColtonCumbie Oh Colton, don't say that! I'm so sorry . You're in my prayers.' and @Kposts27 replying '@ColtonCumbie Colton, I am deeply sorry for loss..don't say that cause you're a beautiful human being and he would want you to stay strong.'

Caleb and Colton's fellow Survivor competitors rushed to pay tribute to Bankston after his death.

Aras Baskauskas told People: 'Caleb was an amazing man and friend. One of the sweetest and most sincere humans I've ever come across. I am gutted by his loss. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.'

Sabrina Thompson, who competed on Survivor: One World with Caleb's fiancee, said: 'While playing Survivor with Colton, he would talk about his boyfriend, Caleb, around the clock 24/7.

End of the road: Host Jeff Probst extinguished Caleb's torch at Tribal Council during the eleventh episode of Survivor: Blood vs. Water last year

Challenging: Katie Collins, Tyson Apolstol, Gervase Peterson and Caleb competed in an Immunity Challenge in the episode before he left the show

'Within seconds of meeting Caleb at the finale and Survivor events, it's no wonder why he raved about him. You were instantly drawn to his big smile, warm spirit and Southern charm. May God rest his soul … gone too soon.'

Watco Companies L.L.C. officials told AP that the deceased's team members are 'being offered counseling'.
A safety stand-down has been ordered while AP also revealed that  the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration have been contacted.

Gone too soon: The young man was a popular character on Survivor and made it to ninth place with his fiance last year

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butterme, Northern California, United States, 1 hour ago

RIP Caleb.

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HeebyJeebies, Lake Wobegon, United States, 1 hour ago

Can't stand colton....terrible accident....

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rizola1, Cumbria, 2 hours ago

Damn - RIP bro , you'd already suffered enough with taking Colton off our hands and now this :(

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ray weaver, baltimore, United States, 3 hours ago

I hope that his employer has an honest investigation to learn how to prevent another death in the future. 26 is too young to die

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Trespink, Dallas_Texas, United States, 3 hours ago

What a sad shame. Caleb was a really nice guy & a lovely person & was one of my Survivor favorites. Agree with other posters that his boyfriend, Colton, was a horrible drama queen.

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jenniferlyn, Seattle, United States, 5 hours ago

The world is truly a lesser place when a man like him is lost.

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jrg, Winnipeg, 5 hours ago

Such sad news. Caleb was such a dear, gentle man and much too young to die. To be honest, like most, I wasn't a Colton fan, but deepest sympathy to him...he truly loved Caleb.

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Kelly, PA, United States, 6 hours ago

Condolences to Caleb's family and to Colton. I was not impressed with Colton on his first time on Survivor, but when he returned with Caleb I was amazed he had found such a nice, sweet, intelligent partner and thought maybe there was more to Colton than what was shown on TV. RIP Caleb

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Dgrin, Athens, Greece, 8 hours ago

He was such a good hearted guy this is so sad!

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NYBelle, New York, United States, 13 hours ago

This is so sad! I loved him on Survivor, he was sweet and charming and I often wondered how he was in a relationship with evil Colton! Too young, too sweet, how could this happened? R.I.P. sweet Caleb!

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