PEDESTRIAN STRUCK BY TRAIN

Elyria – A call from Norfolk Southern that a pedestrian had been struck by one of their trains sent rescue crews searching the tracks for a victim. The first call stated that the victim was struck near West River and Infirmary but that proved to be incorrect information from the train office. Police finally received a call from Norfolk Southern that the Engineer found the victim on the bridge over West Ave near the Police station.

Assistant Chief Ron Brlas of the Elyria Fire Department said that Firefighters, Paramedics and Police Officers were able to get to the victim by trekking through the wooded area near the bridge. “Once we found the victim and the Paramedics were working to stabilize him Captain Pronesti had to figure out the best way to extricate the victim from the tracks. Bringing him down the way they got up was not an option so he had our Ladder truck set up on the north side of the bridge and planned to bring the victim down the ladder.”

Medics and Firefighters stabilized the victim, who had numerous fractures and was semi-responsive, then placed him in a Stokes Basket for his ride down the ladder. While this part of the operation was going on up on the tracks Chief Brlas was searching area parking lots for Metro LifeFlight to land in. “Anytime we have a victim with so much trauma and the extrication time is lengthy we consider having the helicopter come right to the scene if it is safe. We felt that the helicopter would arrive before we had the victim off the tracks and that is indeed what happened. When the victim was lifted off the Ladder truck the LifeFlight Doctor was there to meet him.” The parking lot behind Elyria City Hall was deemed to be the best and safest location to put the helicopter down. Another LifeCare crew picked up the Metro Medical crew and took them to the scene to pick up the victim.

When they arrived the victim was almost down the ladder. Once at the bottom of the ladder it was all hands on deck. A team effort of Firefighters, Police Officers, LifeCare Paramedics and Metro LifeFlight Crew members carefully lowered the victim in the Basket down from the Ladder Truck to the cot below. The victim was placed in the back of a LifeCare squad and then transported back to the helicopter in the City Hall parking lot where he was loaded and flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.

The train conductor told Chief Brlas that he saw the victim walking on the tracks and even though he blew his train horn the man did not move and was then struck by the engine.

The Elyria Police Department is investigating the crash.

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