Police: Man hit by train in Springfield may have been taking
selfie
Posted May 13, 2017 at 7:51 PM
Updated May 14, 2017 at 9:10 AM
By John Reynolds
Staff Writer
A 33-year-old man who was critically injured Saturday when he was hit by a train in downtown Springfield
may have been attempting to take a selfie, police said.
Lt. Bill Neale of the Springfield Police Department said the man, who has not been identified, was standing
near the Third Street tracks at Adams Street about 5:30 p.m. Witnesses said he had his back to an
approaching Amtrak train that was heading north, and he was holding his phone up in the air as if he was
taking a selfie with the train in the background.
Police cautioned that they were not absolutely sure that the victim was taking a selfie.
“He appeared to be doing a selfie or something to that effect,” Neale said. “As he put his arm down, it appears
it came into contact with the engine. That spun him around, and he fell down and went underneath one of
the cars.”
Neale described the man’s injuries as “critical.” He added that the victim sustained a substantial injury to his
foot and lost a few toes. Police officers found the man’s toes and took them to Memorial Medical Center in
the hope that they could be re-attached.
An ambulance arrived at the scene quickly, Neale added.
The exact speed of the train was not available Saturday, but Neale said it was slowing for its stop at the
Amtrak Station, which is only a block and a half away from the scene of the accident.
Police blocked off Adams Street as they investigated the incident.
As mobile phones have increased in popularity over the years, train companies have issued warnings about
people trespassing on tracks in search of a good photograph. A page on Union Pacific’s website notes
trains move faster and quieter than most people expect.
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