Brandon E. Robles, 25, of Benton is lucky to be alive after being struck by a train early Sunday morning.
Benton police officers were dispatched to investigate a report of a possible accident between a Union Pacific Railroad train and a pedestrian between Joplin Street and Bailey Lane at 1 a.m. Sunday.
Benton Police Chief Mike O’Neill said officers spoke with the engineer and train conductor, who said that they had seen a man standing near the tracks and believed the train had struck him as it passed.
Officers with the Benton Police Department, the Benton Fire Department, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, emergency medical technicians with Mercy Regional Emergency Health Services, Union Pacific Railroad personnel and the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency conducted a search, with the assistance of tracking dogs, but could not locate the injured person. The search was called off at 6 a.m.
At noon, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher received a call from the 600 block of East Bond Street in reference to a man who said he could not get out of bed.
Robles was transported to the Franklin Hospital emergency room for treatment. Robles said that after a night of heavy drinking, he was walking home and was about to cross the railroad tracks when he saw a train approaching.
Robles said he stopped to light a cigarette and was struck by the train as it passed, which knocked him to the ground. He said he got up, walked between two of the railroad cars and walked to his residence on Bond Street.
Robles said that when he awoke the next morning, he realized the pain was more significant than he first thought. His injuries were non-life threatening.
