(The Associated Press distributed the following story on July 3.)
WESTFIELD, Mass. — A 29-year-old blind man from Westfield was seriously injured Tuesday when he was struck by a train as he attempted to cross railroad tracks with his mother.
The Republican of Springfield said Israel Parker and his mother, Beth DiRoma, were walking along a path in Westfield that starts near their street and crosses the railroad tracks, when the accident occurred.
Parker suffered a severed leg and was taken to the Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. His condition was not immediately available.
The nine-car freight train had just pulled out of a switching yard when Parker was struck.
A recording device, similar to the so-called “black box” installed on commercial aircraft, is being analyzed by railroad personnel.