ANN ARBOR (WWJ) -- Officials are calling it “nothing short of a miracle” after two pedestrians were struck by a train in Ann Arbor and survived.
Ann Arbor Fire Chief Mike Kennedy tells WWJ that a man and a woman in their late 20s were trespassing on a railroad bridge near Mitchell Field around 7 p.m. on Sunday when they were hit by an oncoming Amtrak train.
The man was thrown into the Huron River by the impact and needed to be taken up the embankment before being rushed away in an ambulance. The woman was not thrown into the river, but suffered serious injuries after landing on the embankment
Kennedy says both are currently hospitalized and are expected to survive, although the man will likely have a long recovery from severe blunt force trauma.
Officials have issued a warning that trespassing on train overpasses is illegal and extremely dangerous.
“This was a near double fatal incident. We cannot stress enough, do NOT trespass on the railroad bridges or tracks,” AAFD wrote on Facebook.
“The newer Amtrak engines are very quiet and do not sound their air horns when traveling through Ann Arbor (no grade crossings),” the post continued. “The trains also quickly get up to +55 mph. Pedestrians on the tracks do NOT have time to react.”
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