Texas Worker Calls 911 After Being "Cut in Two" by Train

A rail yard worker who lost his legs when a train ran over him used a cell phone to report that he was trapped and had been "cut in two."

Truman Duncan, 36, remained in critical condition Wednesday at a Fort Worth hospital after the Sunday accident at the Gunderson Southwest rail yard in Cleburne.

In a tape of the 911 call, Duncan tells the operator that he was run over by a rail car.

"I need 911. CareFlite. I think I'm cut in two," Duncan said.

"Someone got run over?" the operator asked.

"It was me," Duncan said. "I guess I'm going into shock. Hurry up ma'am because I'm about to pass out."

Duncan, of Cleburne, and a co-worker were attempting to couple eight railcars to three others when the accident occurred, according to a police report. Duncan may have been attempting to cross the tracks and was hit by the train, or he could have fallen from a car and been pulled under, police said.

Duncan's call was followed by reports from other workers, police said.

It took rescue workers about an hour to find Duncan and extricate from the tracks. One leg was caught between a steel wheel and brake and the other leg was caught on some wheel and axle parts.

While working to stabilize the hopper car, rescue workers inflated a heavy-duty airbag to lift the car from the tracks.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident in Cleburne, which is located about 50 miles southwest of Dallas.

"It was a double amputation," said Mike Talmont, assistant area director for OSHA. "We just started the investigation, but what we understand is one person got caught under the rail car and got both legs amputated."

Gunderson Southwest, based in Lake Oswego, Ore., repairs and refurbishes rail cars.

"We have assured ourselves that he is getting the best of medical care and that he is attended by his loved ones," Gretchen Brask, an attorney for Greenbriar Leasing Corp., said in a written statement.

"The thoughts and prayers of the entire Gunderson organization go out to him and to his family at this time," she said.

Federal Railway Administration data shows there were 22 fatalities and 143 injuries in Texas during the first three months of 2006 for all types of railroad accidents. In 2005, there were 72 fatalities and 641 injuries.

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