Authorities say a Kansas man, 25-year-old Kristopher Wenberg, was walking along railroad tracks in Topeka, Kansas wearing headphones when he was hit by a train that he didn’t hear approaching behind him. To survive being struck by a train is a stroke of luck but Wenberg stood up, made a phone call on his cellphone, and walked away – nothing short of a miracle!
Shawnee County Sheriff Herman Jones says the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) conductor applied the train’s emergency brakes and blew the horn when he saw 25-year-old Kristopher Wenberg on the tracks in Topeka on Thursday. Wenberg told deputies he was wearing headphones and couldn’t hear the train, which eventually hit him. Jones says Wenberg promptly got back up and called someone on his cellphone as he walked away. Shortly after his call, a private car picked Wenberg up and drove him to the hospital where he was treated for minor injuries on his legs and shoulder.
Brian J. Bartholomew, a retired conductor who worked for BNSF for over 40 years, told ABC News that he has never heard of a pedestrian being able to walk away from a collision with a freight train.
It is against the law to walk on train tracks and authorities said Wenberg was cited for criminal trespass.
