Omahan injured by rail car at work (critical)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20110106/NEWS01/701069856/0#omahan-injured-by-rail-car

Published Thursday January 6, 2011

An Omaha man was injured early Thursday after becoming stuck between a guardrail and a train car at the MidAmerican power plant south of Council Bluffs.


Michael D. McGillen Jr., 28, was taken by medical helicopter to the Creighton University Medical Center in critical condition after rescue officials arrived at about 3 a.m., according to Dwayne Riche of the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office.

McGillen is an Iowa Interstate Railroad employee. Riche said the train unit was backing up south toward a gated entrance to Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, on the power plant property.

The train went through a closed gate and bent a guardrail on the last car, pinning McGillen in the abdomen area. The gate was supposed to be opened by a SIRE employee, Riche said.

Employees were unable to free McGillen. Lewis Township Rescue workers removed the guardrail and freed McGillen, who was then taken to the hospital.

[Brickbat]

1. Gah...these non-union lines are a real bitch. I wonder, too, if it was a remote unit.