(The Washington Missourian posted the following story on its website on September 24.)
WASHINGTON, Mo. — A Union Pacific Railroad worker sustained hand and shoulder injuries Tuesday in an accident involving an Amtrak passenger train between Berger and New Haven in the Etlah Bottoms area, the sheriff’s office reported.
The victim was identified as Curtis Burrows, 44, Bentonville, Ark.
It is not believed the injuries were life-threatening, according to the sheriff’s office.
The accident happened at approximately 12:30 p.m. According to the railroad employees, when a train approaches a work area, the engineer contacts the workers by radio and asks permission to pass the area. In this situation, workers said train personnel were given permission to enter the work area. Burrows, however, did not have his portable radio with him and did not hear the call.
As the train approached, Burrows did not see it until the last minute, and was caught between the train and a piece of equipment. The train struck the worker’s hand and also caused injury to his shoulder, the sheriff’s office said.
He was removed from the accident scene by other workers and taken to a location where he was picked up by ambulance and transported to St. John’s Mercy Hospital for treatment. It is not known if he was admitted or released.
Personnel on the train were not aware of the accident, according to the report.