02/17/14 A local young man is lucky to be alive after being pinned between a railroad car and wall at DelMonte Friday afternoon.
Emergency responders were sent to the Western Avenue factory at 12:12 after a train using the DelMonte rail spur derailed as it was entering the inside loading dock on the west side of the building.
The victim, who works for the railroad, was accidently pinned between the wall and the empty rail car when the railcar jumped off the track. He was conscious and able to communicate with emergency responders during the ordeal.
Plymouth paramedics and firefighters used high-pressure air bags to extricate the victim. The bags were placed between the wall and the railcar and inflated releasing the victim. Plymouth Fire Chief Rod Miller said extrication for this type accident with these severe injuries is a delicate rescue operation.
After being freed the man was immediately transferred to the MedFlight crew who had landed in a parking area just to the west of the factory. He was flown to the trauma center at Memorial Hospital in South Bend and was immediately taken into surgery.
Western Avenue was closed for several hours during the incident and to get the train car back on the rail.
At this time no one is releasing the name of the victim.
