Few vehicle-pedestrian collisions are more catastrophic than a person getting hit by a train. A freight train ran over a 20-year-old man in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Monday night. Surprisingly, the man survived what the Ann Arbor Fire Department called a “once in a career” incident. The typically fatal collision resulted in a severe hand injury and an ambulance ride to the University of Michigan Hospital.
The collision happened because the man was sleeping on the tracks, according to the fire department. Luckily, the Ann Arbor Railroad train was going slowly enough to slow quickly, not plow through the person and slide for the next half-mile. The man’s left hand ended up entangled in the lead locomotive’s rear axle, pinned between the wheel, axle, and wear gear.
First responders were seriously concerned that a field amputation would be needed to get the man free. A medical helicopter and a team from the University of Michigan Department of Surgery were on the scene. Still, after nearly two hours, emergency personnel extricated the man from underneath the train. AAFD said in a statement:
“This was a once in a career incident for those involved. Normally, person versus train incidents are fatal. This was a true team effort.”
I can’t reiterate how lucky this man is to be in a hospital and in stable condition. Far too often, people don’t respect how dangerous trains can be, like a teenager who intentionally derailed a train for online cloud earlier this year. Despite how freight railroads operate them, trains aren’t toys.