Pedestrian hit by train in T. Falls

A 78-year-old Thompson Falls man is in critical condition after being hit by a train on Monday. Around 1:15 p.m. Monday, a man identified by authorities as Gary Freeman of Thompson Falls, was crossing the tracks on the west end of Thompson Falls at the Madison Street crossing. According to witnesses Speed and Sharon Tessier, who were parked in their car waiting for the train, Freeman seemed unaware of the oncoming train. They said he was crossing the street as the crossing arms came down. Many locals heard the unusual violent screeching of train brakes in downtown Thompson Falls.

According to the Tessiers, Freeman was walking down the hill toward Main Street. "It didn't look like he heard or saw it coming," said Speed. "That isn't anything anyone ever wants to see, we were just on our way to do our taxes," Sharon added.

According to Ross Lane, Montana Rail Link Vice President of Corporate Relations, the west-bound train was carrying mixed freight. He said the train crew saw Freeman walking around the bars and lights and immediately engaged the train's emergency brakes and began sounding the horn.

Witnesses say that Freeman was clipped, and he spun to the ground afterward. Locals from several parked cars, including Speed, immediately jumped from their cars and rushed to the man on the ground and called 911. Speed said when he got to Freeman, the injured man was bleeding from the head and was trying to get up. Speed promptly told him to lay still and to wait for the ambulance.

The Thompson Falls Ambulance immediately arrived on scene, followed a few minutes later by the Thompson Falls Fire Department and the Thompson Falls Police.

Two of the three crossings in Thompson Falls were blocked for more than two hours while police investigated the scene.

Freeman was transported by the Thompson Falls Ambulance to the emergency room at Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains. From there, according to Thompson Falls Police Chief Chris Nichols, Freeman was moved to St. Patrick's Hospital in Missoula. "What an awful thing to have happen in this town," said Nichols. According to JoAnn Hoven, the public information coordinator at St. Patrick's Hospital, Freeman is in serious condition and "indicators are questionable."

Lane said Montana Rail Link does several outreach programs in areas, including Thompson Falls, where they impress the importance of stopping when the lights and bars are seen flashing and moving. "A train can come at any time, from any direction," Lane said. The crew, who themselves were traumatized according to Lane, were sent home for the day.

The incident is under investigation by Montana Rail Link, the Thompson Falls Police Department and the Sanders County Sheriff's Office.