Laura Bond, Reporter
11-19-2008
A Louisiana Center for
the Blind student who was struck by a train in downtown Ruston Tuesday is listed
in serious condition at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, according to
Ruston police.Preliminary investigations indicate David Kolotinsky, 22, a native of New York, was walking south on Trenton Street around 1 p.m. Tuesday when he attempted to cross the railroad track and became disoriented at the sound of the approaching train.
At this time, Kolotinsky turned to walk east next to the tracks and was struck by the eastbound train, said RPD Public Information Officer Lt. Curtis Hawkins.
Ruston High senior Tiffany Barnes was nearby riding in a vehicle with a friend and witnessed the incident.
“He appeared to be walking down the track with a few other blind people. He was walking a little separately — kind of still on the sidewalk. I think he heard the train blowing its horn, I’m pretty sure,” Barnes recalled. “We saw him trying to come back from the train like he was trying to move off the track. He literally flew maybe 20 feet when he was hit. It didn’t look like full blown hit, but half of his side.”
Barnes said Kolotinsky did not appear to be on the tracks when he was struck, but right beside them where the side of the train made contact with him. She and her friend quickly pulled over to help when they saw him walking near the train, but by the time they made it there he had already been knocked behind the stage area at Railroad Park, Barnes said.
“As soon as I saw I dialed 911 and then I ran over to him and felt his neck, and his pulse was so weak,” said Barnes, who added she took first responder training at Ruston High. “It looked like his head was split and he had cuts all over his back. I asked if he could hear me and if he was OK, and he said something I couldn’t understand, so I knew he was conscious.”
According to RPD, the Kansas City Southern train engineer, William Mickler, observed Kolotinsky in the crossing area and immediately began to try to stop the train. Mickler told officers he could see the crossing lights were activated and he sounded the train horn.
Traffic was re-routed on U.S. 167 for approximately an hour. Ruston Police and Kansas City Southern investigators are looking further into the accident. The RPD investigation will reveal the speed of the train and the distance it took for it to stop.
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