(The following story by Kirk Mitchell appeared on The Denver Post website on February 23.)
DENVER, Colo. — A locomotive engineer spotted a man sitting on train tracks in Longmont early this morning and tried unsuccessfully to avoid running over the man, officials say.
Todd Hirsh, 34, of Longmont was struck by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train pulling 76 cars at 3:11 a.m. in the 400 block of Atwood Street, according to Sgt. Mike Bell of the Longmont Police Department.
The southbound train did not come to a complete stop until it had gone another 75 feet after running over Hirsh, Bell said.
Longmont firefighters pulled Hirsh out from under the second engine of the train, he said.
Hirsh, who smelled of alcohol, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Hirsh has an extensive arrest record for thefts, burglary and drunken driving and was arrested Jan. 21 for investigation of a parole violation in Boulder County, according to Colorado Department of Corrections records.
He was convicted of a reduced charge of driving while ability impaired in October of 2002. The same month, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison on a motor vehicle theft conviction.
Then in April 2004 he was sentenced to three years in prison for a burglary conviction, according to records.