(The following story by Nancy Terwelp appeared on the Herald-Whig website on May 24. K.W. Hartory is a member of BLET Division 644 in Galesburg, Ill.))
QUINCY, Ill. — A 61-year-old resident of the Illinois Veterans Home escaped injury Sunday afternoon when his wheelchair was struck by a train.
William F. Decker, a resident of Elmore West, was in a wheelchair and was attempting to cross tracks on the northern portion of the property near an access road to the power plant at 4:09 p.m. Sunday. Decker’s wheelchair became stuck on the crossing in the path of an approaching eastbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe train.
The train’s engineer, Ken Hartory, said he spotted Decker and was able to slow the train enough that it “gently pushed (Decker) about five feet down the track.”
“We came around a curve when I saw him on the track,” said Hartory, a 32-year railroad employee who works out of Galesburg and formerly lived in Palmyra, Mo.
“When I saw he wasn’t moving, I immediately put it (braking system) on emergency. All you can do then is pray.”
Hartory was operating a multi-car coal train. The cars were empty and the train was traveling uphill.
“If we had been going downhill or been loaded, it would have been a different story,” Hartory said.
Illinois Veterans Home Superintendent Mike Hutmacher said “Decker is a mighty fortunate man.” Decker could not be reached for comment.
Quincy police officer Kevin Taute said Decker received no apparent injuries and refused medical treatment at the scene. Decker remained in the wheelchair as it was pushed along the tracks.
No other details of the accident were released.