Early Friday morning a University student was struck by a CSX train near East Reed Street and was later sent to Wood County Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
Michael Irwin, 19, was passed out and laying beside the railroad tracks at approximately 1:20 a.m. when a train’s whistle blew to alert him. Irwin did not get out of the way in time and the train grazed him. He suffered injuries to the back side of his body, according to the Bowling Green Police Department.
When city police officers arrived, they reported Irwin was conscious, but incoherent and they were unable to decipher his speech.
Irwin refused to comment on the incident via e-mail.
After being released from the hospital later in the morning, Irwin was charged with trespassing and given an underage under the influence citation, city police Lt. Tony Hetrick said. No crossway for pedestrians exists where the accident occurred, Hetrick said. He added there used to be a crosswalk, but it was removed a few years ago as East Reed Street deadends at the tracks.
In order to prevent more people like Irwin being hurt by trains, Hetrick said people should cross at the regulated areas where gates come down and cut down on their consumption of alcohol to limit poor decision-making when inebriated.
‘Anyone who is so intoxicated and falls beside a railroad track should assess their consumption, especially being underage,’ Hetrick said. ‘The tracks are not a place to be messing around.’
Last Saturday, CSX enforcement officers came from Michigan to patrol the tracks and issued 41 written warnings to people crossing at unregulated areas. Their purpose for doing this was to maintain the safety of pedestrians and explain the dangers of walking over the tracks, which could potentially lead to injuries or fatalities, CSX commanding officer John Harris said.
He said some students didn’t heed CSX’s warning about crossing the tracks at non-designated pedestrian crosswalks.
‘Students should always respect the train,’ Harris said. ‘It is important to educate students that [the tracks are] a dangerous place and when you mix alcohol or impaired judgment, the railroad becomes a more dangerous place.’
Harris said students should be aware of the $150 charge for trespassing, which one will receive when crossing the tracks at non-designated areas.
In 2007, two fatalities happened at the railroad tracks in Bowling Green when both people were intoxicated at the time of their deaths, Hetrick said.
BGPD will not increase the amount of officers patrolling the railroads, but will continue to overlook the areas and issue citations for anyone crossing anywhere other then where a crossing gate and sidewalk are present.
Editor’s note: City Editor Ella Fowler contributed to this report.
