A dad-of-one is lucky to be alive after being struck by a freight train
William Martin was crossing train tracks after his car broke down.
He was off home to get his tools when he was hit by the loco.
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William is deaf in one ear and was wearing earphones, so he didn’t hear the train coming.
He was left with a fractured skull, a punctured lung, broken ribs and a ruptured spleen.
The 40-year-old was rushed to hospital.
William had his spleen removed, blood vessels stitched up, and lungs re-inflated.
His fiancé, Heather, says doctors couldn’t believe he’d survived his injuries.
Heather told Need To Know: “He’s on a breathing tube and on a lot of medication because he’s in so much pain from his ribs being broken.
“Everyone was so shocked that he’s alive. He was literally fighting for his life.
“I didn’t get to see him for nine hours while he was in surgery.
“When I saw him, he was covered in blood. It was very shocking to see his head swollen.
“I was surprised that he was alive.
“The first thing I said to him was ‘You lucky boy’. He doesn’t remember anything.
“He thought we’d be in a car accident, so I told him that I was ok.”
William and his fiancé, Heather Johnson, 32, were on their way home from work at a taco shop when their car broke down.
William decided to walk the one-and-a-half mile journey to their home in Grand Prairie, on the outskirts of Dallas, Texas, to get the tools.
When he didn’t return, Heather combed the streets looking for him and spotted police cars on the tracks at 11.30pm on Saturday (27 Jul).
Heather said: “It’s rare that he would be walking because we usually drive, but we were having problems with the car so he went to get tools while I waited.
“I ended up getting the car started so I went looking for him, but I couldn’t find him and there were police cars on the track.
“I just thought ‘Oh God, I hope that isn’t him’ and I had a really bad feeling.
“I carried on looking and when I couldn’t find him I approached a police officer and they said someone had been hit by a train.
“I said I probably didn’t want to know and asked if it was a man because I couldn’t find my fiancé.
“They asked if my fiancé was called William Martin. I asked if he was alive and they said he was ‘right now’.
“He was crossing the tracks with his headphones on. He’s also deaf on his left side and that’s where the train hit.
“The driver did honk and try to slow down but not enough to prevent it, and William didn’t hear it.”
William is at the Dallas Methodist Hospital.
Heather has set up a GoFundMe to help cover medical bills that could reach more than £194,000 ($250,000).
Heather said: “He’ll be in hospital for another week and it might take him three months to fully recover.
“He’ll be off work and we aren’t insured.
“The fundraiser is for medical bills, hospital bills and whatever care he needs afterwards.”
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