Family hopes others will learn from Rail Runner death
Man who stepped in front of train on Saturday had struggled with depression
James “Danny” Chavarria told his family he was going to pick up some food Saturday afternoon.
Instead, his parents and brothers found out later, Chavarria, 21, drove on Interstate 25 to the N.M. 599 Rail Runner train station, parked on the shoulder of the highway and stepped on the tracks in front of a train.
State police on Tuesday identified Chavarria as the suicidal pedestrian who was fatally struck by a northbound commuter train.
As Chavarria’s family members mourn the loss of the young man, they wonder what triggered him to take his own life in such a horrific way. In any case, the family said, they hope the tragic episode highlights the struggles of depression and encourages those who suffer from it to seek professional help.
“I sought help, but I couldn’t win my son over,” said Teresita Chavarria, the young man’s mother, in an interview with The New Mexican.
James Chavarria, the youngest of four brothers, had suffered from depression in the past few years, his parents said. He had lashed out at his parents and siblings, they said, threatening to hurt them or himself.
Shortly after Chavarria graduated from Capital High School in 2013, the family checked him into a behavioral health center.
He spent a week there, his parents said, but then he refused to get help for his depression.
As time went by, they said, he seemed to be less affected by depression, becoming more social and expressing his feelings.
“That’s why nobody understands why he did this,” said Luis Chavarria Jr., one of James Chavarria’s older brothers.
Police say Chavarria’s death, at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, disrupted traffic on northbound Interstate 25 for hours. The train was carrying about 120 passengers, who also were delayed until state police officers and an official with the state Office of the Medical Investigator cleared the scene.
Luis Chavarria Jr. described his younger brother as a personable young man who loved to play video games and work on cars.
He wanted to be a mechanic, his brother said. James Chavarria had a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse and a 2007 Hyundai that he had customized.
On Thursday, Teresita Chavarria said, her son came home early from his job at McDonald’s. She asked him why. He told her that he had gotten into an argument with his boss and was sent home, she said.
On Sunday, when co-workers visited the family at their Jaguar Drive home, they told her he had been fired, she said.
She wonders if the episode at work between her son and his boss may have triggered his depression and his decision to take his own life.
But James Chavarria’s father, Luis Chavarria Sr., said he may have been planning to commit suicide for some time. A state police officer had given them their son’s cellphone, which he had left inside his car, Luis Chavarria Sr. said. They went through the phone and found clues about the plan.
The phone’s web history showed James Chavarria had been browsing the Rail Runner schedule and had Googled information on how to commit suicide, his father said.
“I guess we just didn’t know how bad his depression was.”
The family had a gathering planned Saturday and were going to have a meal. Still, James Chavarria insisted he wanted to go get food, his parents said.
He said he would be back home shortly.
About 30 minutes later, his parents said, a state police officer notified them that their son was dead.
“I want people to react,” James Chavarria’s mother said, “and recognize that if they need help to go get help.”