Sylvanus Denney

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=20443431

Sylvenus was struck by the train in Geneva as he tried to let the oncoming train pass by, by stepping between the track and a building. In calculating his birthdate from his grave marker which gives his age as 49 years 4 months and 12 days, his date of birth would be 4 September 1808

From Geneva Gazette 22 January 1858:

Fatal Accident - Sylvanus Denny, a cooper by trade, met with a horrible death at the Depot in this village on Saturday noon last. It occurred in the following manner: He was coming up the track from the East and when he neared the Depot, as trains were standing on both the main and principal side tracks, he stepped aside on the north switch; when opposite the building used as a woodhouse, water-tank, &c., a freight car was being backed down from the west, which had just been detached from the train. Its motion was quite slow, and an employee of the Company was following it, who saw Denny, and hailed him two or three times to get out of danger. Instead of getting off the track into the road, he stepped up against the side of the building, where unfortunately there was not sufficient room for a man to stand. Consequently he was crushed between the moving car and the building. He survived his injuries but about 10 minutes. An investigation was had before Coroner Wheeler, where the above facts were elicited, and the Company's agents fully exonerated from blame in the premises.