Caleb Bankston, 'Survivor' Contestant, Dies In Train Accident At 26

Survivor contestant Caleb Bankston died Tuesday in a tragic train accident at the age of 26.

Bankston competed on Survivor: Blood vs. Water in 2013 with his fiancé, Colton Cumble, who previously participated in Survivor: One World.

Though he was eliminated before the finale, coming in ninth place, Bankston was a popular contestant and his fellow contestants have nothing but good things to say about their time spent together.

“While playing Survivor with Colton, he would talk about his boyfriend, Caleb, around the clock 24/7. 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,” said Survivor: One World contestant Sabrina Thompson.

Bankston worked for the Alabama Warrior Railway in Birmingham, Ala., and was reportedly crushed between two rail cars when a train he was working on was derailed. The Birmingham Police Department revealed to TMZ that the Alabama Warrior Railway and the Federal Railroad Administration would be conducting investigations to determine what caused the train to derail.

Bankston and Cumble were set to be married in October, and Cumble changed his Facebook profile picture to one of the two of them on Tuesday.

Survivor and CBS have not yet commented on the news.

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Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.