Train vs. trespasser in Portsmouth - 10-28-2011

PortsmouthPatch wrote:A man was struck by a freight train on Friday night near Route 33 in Portsmouth and is now being evaluated at a local hospital after he refused to share any personal information with the train operator and fled the scene.

Portsmouth Police Lt. Chris Cummings said the man, whom police did not identify, was walking down the railroad tracks behind Route 33 and Banfield Road when he was apparently struck by a Pan Am Railways freight train headed east shortly before 9:30 a.m.

Portsmouth Police and Portsmouth Firefighters responded to the scene. Cummings said police learned from the train operator that the man refused to share any of his personal information with Pan Am Railway officials following the incident and fled the scene on foot.

Foster's Daily Democrat wrote:After the 911 call came in at around 8:45 p.m., Portsmouth Police and Fire departments had been trying to find the man, and eventually caught up with him some time after 9 p.m. Cummings said the man was found walking on Route 33, near the town line of Portsmouth and Greenland.
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Cummings guessed that with the amount of time that had passed, the man could have walked a distance of three-quarters of a mile to a mile before he was found by authorities.

Foster's Daily Democrat wrote:PORTSMOUTH — After a 911 call about a man getting struck by a train on Oct. 28, the Pan Am Railways are reporting that the man, whose identity is unknown, was never actually struck by the train.
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The train, which had been going 10 mph at the time, had stopped after seeing the man jump out of a marsh and onto the railroad tracks, said Scarano.

Although the man was sent to the hospital, Scarano said the Pan Am investigation revealed he had no serious injuries.

She said the man only had scratches on his face, most likely from jumping out of the marsh.