(The following report appeared on the Saginaw News website on November 13.)
SAGINAW, Mich. — Saginaw police late Friday were trying to determine how a Saginaw man, who in 1991 was dragged under a train car by his shoelaces and lost his feet, had his hand severed by a railroad car.
Doctors at Saint Mary’s listed the 42-year-old in critical condition after he suffered the injury about 6:20 p.m. near 18th and Cherry.
“We don’t know what happened,” Sgt. Brian Lipe said. The man was in shock and unable to talk with officers, he said.
The train moves from business to business in the Saginaw area, changing cars and moving them to a nearby rail yard owned by CSX Transportation, which also owns the tracks, said Gary Sease, CSX spokesman.
“The railroad is private property,” Sease said. “We discourage people from trespassing for obvious safety reasons.”
Railroad police from CSX Transportation, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., are assisting the Saginaw Police in the investigation.