Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF crew saves man's life.

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002157770_train22m.html

Man's legs are severed in fall from freight train in Edmonds

By Diane Brooks

Times Snohomish County Bureau

A 29-year-old Pasco man whose legs were severed at the knees by a train yesterday morning may owe his life to a three-man railroad crew who stopped to help and a trio of Edmonds firefighters who sprinted nearly a mile down the tracks with life-support equipment.

The man had hitched a ride aboard a southbound Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway (BNSF) freight car, said railroad spokesman Gus Melonas. The man tried to jump off along the Woodway shoreline but fell beneath the wheels, he said.

About five minutes later, the crew of a northbound BNSF train spotted him lying next to the tracks, frantically waving for help, Melonas said. The slow-moving freight train quickly stopped, and its three-man crew — all trained in first aid — tried to staunch the man's blood loss by using their shirts as tourniquets.

They radioed the BNSF dispatch center in Texas, which notified local emergency agencies shortly before 9 a.m. The closest point for vehicle access to the tracks was nearly a mile to the north, at Edmonds Marina Beach. Several aid units were dispatched, and three Edmonds firefighters with medic training arrived first. They grabbed a first-aid kit, an oxygen tank and a backboard and started running down the tracks at 9:17 a.m., said fire Lt. Todd Anderson.

When the train crew saw Anderson's firefighters coming, they unhitched the lead locomotive to meet them partway, Melonas said. The engine then backed up to carry them the rest of the way to the injured man.

"The Burlington Northern personnel on that engine saved this man's life. They did an amazing job," Anderson said.

The rail crew had wrapped nylon tie-down straps around the man's shirt-bandaged legs, then used a stick to twist them tight, Anderson said, significantly slowing his blood loss.

Anderson and Melonas both praised the crew — engineer Mike Reitz, conductor Xavier Valenzuela and brakeman Mike Ayers — for also giving the man emotional support during his half-hour wait for help. He hadn't immediately realized he had lost his legs, Melonas said. They gave him some water and tried to take his mind off his plight, he said, making small talk about the holidays.

"Valenzuela said, 'We were trying help out a fellow human being in desperate need of assistance,' " Melonas recounted.

The firefighters bandaged his legs, hooked him up to the oxygen supply and loaded him onto the lead locomotive's rear platform. The locomotive then carried him to a waiting ambulance at Marina Beach, which arrived at 9:45 a.m. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center.


A hospital spokeswoman last night said the man was undergoing surgery and likely would be moved into intensive care. His name wasn't immediately released

wow, what a story

Great Story . It shows there are still great people out there. I hope the BNSF does something nice for these guys , Then again saving someone's life would be gratitude enough for me , Now will they come after the legless man for trespassing ? More details to follow......

I think that losing both of his legs is punishment enough for his "crime."

same opinion here as BNSFhogger. that crew needs something special for doing what they did
railfan1 out

Awesome story man.

BNSF will probably fire the crew, they had to violate some rule.