A 20-year-old man has been hospitalized after his hand got stuck under a freight train while he was sleeping on the tracks in Ann Arbor. The incident occurred yesterday at around 9:30 p.m. between East Huron Street and Miller Avenue, as reported by FOX 2 Detroit. The Ann Arbor Fire Department stated that the train was moving slowly and was able to stop quickly after the driver realized someone was under the train.
The man's left hand was caught between the wheel, axle, and rail gear of the lead locomotive. "Shockingly, the hand injury was the only major trauma," the fire department said in a statement obtained by WXYZ. The extraction was difficult due to the strength of the metal and the location of the man on the tracks. It was a complex rescue operation that took nearly two hours and involved multiple agencies.
A surgical team from the University of Michigan was dispatched to the scene via helicopter to potentially amputate the man's hand. Fortunately, after one hour of attempted extrication, he was rescued without amputation. Following the rescue, the man was listed in stable condition at the U-M Hospital. Details from the Ann Arbor Fire Department were shared by Audacy, describing the operation as a true team effort involving the Ann Arbor Police Department, Huron Valley Ambulance, Michigan Medicine Survival Flight, the Michigan Medicine Department of Surgery's Division of Acute Care Surgery, and the Pittsfield Township Fire Department.
"...This was a once in career incident for those involved. Normally, person versus train incidents are fatal. This was a true team effort." authorities commented. Further details regarding the identity and hometown of the man were not released. The agencies involved in this rescue have not disclosed any additional information at this time, as detailed by Audacy.
