John and Carmen Jacobs are members of this list. I am sure they are too
modest to make a much of this but it certainly deserves our attention,
admiration and respect. I, for one, am awed by such a dutiful response and
humbled by such grace under pressure. I like to think that all railfans
would act as responsibly in similar situations. The Burlington has long
known what an asset they had in the Jacobs family. Everyone is blessed that
the tradition continues.
The incident occurred Monday morning near Palmyra, Missouri.
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To all listed above.
This morning on the way home from the night shift at BASF I noted a stopped
train on the highway 61 bridge north of Palmyra about 5:20 AM. Thinking it
was a underpowered westbound on the hill I preceded home to Taylor. Around
5:30 or so Mr Arch Hayden from BNSF called me wanting to know about access
to the Rock Cut at the north edge of Palmyra. It seems that train
M-KCKGAL-06 had gone into emergency eastbound and the conductor was hurt in
the cut while walking the train. Arch stated that Marion County Ambulance
had been called and he wanted to know about access up the old rock cut by
where the City of Palmyra burns brush. I got off the phone with Arch and
called the Palmyra Fire/Police dispatcher and talked to Officer Russ
Schiable. Told him what was going on and if he could come up with the key, I
told him I'd meet him there to assist getting to the injured conductor.
I got off the phone with Russ and headed toward Rock Cut. Upon arrival at
the bridge, I found Trainmaster Lambert out of West Quincy parked at the
gate and Officer Schiable pulled up behind us.
Just then the engineer of KCKGAL came running down the road saying the
subject was 10 cars west of the bridge on the north side of the right-of-way
and that he thought he wasn't breathing.
I grabbed my medical jump-kit out of the cars and started running to the
bridge. All who have worked around rail equipment know when you have a train
on the track it's harder to walk the right -of -way because of the slope of
the ballast. After jogging about 10 car lengths I found the subject supine
on the north side of the train with his head facing the train. It was
obvious he had not moved for awhile. I did my medical ABC's
(Airway-Breathing-Circulation) by checking his chest for breath's and his
carotid artery for a pulse. Neither was present.
Officer Schiable was the next on the scene about 3-4 minutes later followed
by Trainmaster Lambert and the engineer about 2-3 minutes behind. Officer
Shiable also checked the patient and found no heartbeat. As he was also cold
to the touch we ruled out any attempt of CPR as he was way beyond the
7minute critical time for it to do any good.
Officer Schiable called Marion County Sheriff's department via radio and
requested a deputy ( it was outside city limits)and the coroner.
Trainmaster Lambert stated the Trainmaster Wooten was coming out of
Brookfield as it was not Lamberts normal territory. The conductor was a Mr.
Collins (I didn't catch his first name) age 60 of Brookfield. Marion County
Ambulance arrived next along with the Palmyra Fire & Rescue. Paramedic John
Nemes verified Mr. Collins' condition and plans were made to extricate the
body from the scene as soon as the coroner arrived.
The whole incident started when the KCKGAL hit a tree that had blown across
the tracks in last night storm located between MP 12 and MP 13 (Between Rock
Cut and Stewarts Bend. S.B. being the site of the 1972 derailment). After
knocking the tree off the tracks the train went into emergency a short time
later. Mr. Collins was walking from the head -end which was east of the
highway, crossed the bridge and found a air hose undone. He proceeded west
when he slipped and went down. The engineer said Mr. Collins stated he
didn't feel very good. The engineer stated he tried to keep him on the radio
but he could tell he was getting weaker. This must have been around the time
he called for help and tied the locomotives down and went back to find Mr.
Collins. After we found him,Trainmaster Lambert walked the rst of the train
and found two more hose parted and the train was broken in two in two places
where he thinks the limbs of the tree brushed the cut bars on the cars
thereby uncoupling them. When the coroner arrived and took pictures of the
scene and got all pertinent information it was decided to load Mr. Collins
on a stokes basket set him on the empty flatcar beside him and have the
engineer ease us the ten car lengths to where we go get him to the road.
With this done Trainmaster Lambert had to find a way of getting the engineer
picked up from the head end. I had him ask the engineer how far he was from
the new subdivision that is on the south side of the tracks on the old
Coovert Farm east of Palmyra. He stated he was 1/4 to 1/2 mile west of the
road on the east side of the subdivision. I had Trainmaster Lambert follow
me as I knew how to get back there. The engineer was picked up and we headed
out. On the way north we passed a Black's Taxi going south with what must
have been the relief crew.
M-KCKGAL-06 this morning was a 6400 foot long train departing Brookfield
around midnight. Power was the green BN 7030, H1 BNSF 8048, CSX 5916, H1
BNSF 6717, and yellow/blue BNSF 6461. This afternoon we were on our way to
Quincy at 2:45PM when I saw the train sitting on the main at West Quincy.
In all the 18 years of fire service with PFD and all the years of
railfanning I've been involved with I've never had an incident like this.
My deepest sympathies to the family of Mr. Collins and to the crews based in
Brookfield for the loss of their brethren.
Respectfully submitted,
John C. Jacobs
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