Passing BNSF Crew helps injured man

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Heroic BNSF crew helps save man’s life
(The following story by Diane Brooks appeared on the Seattle Times website on January 24.)

SEATTLE – 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 bot

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Wow - talk about mixed feelings. The crew certainly went above and beyond the call on this one. Unfortunately they shouldn’t have had to, especially with the circumstances of the injury.

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I was going to post this story if LC hadn’t. What a great job by that crew. All they cared about was helping this guy reguardless of how he injured himself. I’d hope if I found myself in a similar situation that I could act as quickly as those fine men did.

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Knowing how people think anything that big must have deep pockets, I’m surprised some lawyer hasn’t gotton to our “victim” yet… because it’s my experience that “no good deed goes unpunished.”

It’s still nice to hear about folks doing the right thing, though.

Erik

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Well, excuse me, but what else would we expect the crew to do under these circumstances?

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Give a typical FU attitude that is all to common in this world today.

Excellent job on those guys.

Adrianspeeder

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Most railroad men are very decent indeed and would help anyone to save a life, even if the person in trouble was clearly a law breaker.

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These guys went well above and beyond what could or should be expected. They provided medical assistance to this trespasser right down to the shirts off their own backs and improvised tourniquet of the mans legs without a proper first aid kit and transported both rescuers and the injured man (note I didn’t say “victim”) to the ambulance. It might not sound like much, but as someone with both 12 years in the fire service and six on an ambulance and over 10 years operating trains I can tell you that what these fellows did was neither easy nor fun. It requires a lot of knowledge and teamwork. My hat is off to these guys. Oh, and yes I have assisted people hit by trains before. Also, this is a lesson to those who think “train hopping” is a good idea. It isn’t. I’m tempted to say more about your question, but I’ll write it’s callous nature off to your apparent inexperience…

LC

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LC , here .here. compliments on your retort. stay safe.

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that was a very touching story the crew did a very good job

kevin

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It’s nice to note the journalist had the crew “unhitching” the lead unit.

I am amazed by two predictable elements of the story: (1) an idiot stealing a dangerous ride on a train and (2) the care and professionalism of the crew. Think about the whole system involved, from the training of the crew to the communications link to the dispatch center in Texas and the cooperation with the local emergency crews. It’s a pretty remarkable story in today’s world and a tribute to the industry.