Trimess

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Light rail torpedos

They do have some particularly gruesome accidents there. Getting hit by a car is so clean in  comparison.

A man was hit by a TriMet MAX train Sunday afternoon at the 94th Avenue stop in Southeast Portland. The man is alive, but the extent of his injuries is unclear.  Portland Police and TriMet are now trying to figure out how the man ended up on the tracks in the first place.

Police have not released the man’s name. Portland Fire and Rescue spokesman Ron Rouse said the man was unconscious when rescuers first got to him.  The man “came to” when rescuers got him out from under the train.

The impact happened just after 4pm.  The southbound Green line hit the man at the stop. Portland Fire and Rescue had 25 to 30 men and women working for almost an hour to get the man out.  

A TriMet spokeswoman said the man was underneath the train for a while after the initial impact because of where the impact happened and because of the train’s speed.

Rescuers used airbags and jacks to raise the train up to get to the man.

"He was in between the rails. And the rail is three inches high right there so you have to lift it another three to four inches just to get his body over the rail. I think that's what took so long,” said Rouse.

Several people who were on the train when the man was hit told KATU News they heard a loud thud and the train jolted when the impact happened.

MAX Green line service was suspended for two-and-a-half hours during the rescue and subsequent investigation.  MAX Green line service has been restored.

No passengers were injured. The man who was hit was transported to a local hospital.

 Man alive after getting hit by a MAX train in SE Portland

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