Jerry L. Hale helped to save Timothy H. Hammer from being struck by a train, Parker City, Indiana, July 7, 2005. At a crossing, Hammer, 42, was attempting to cross a railroad track in his wheelchair when the front wheels of the chair got stuck. In an attempt to maneuver off the track, Hammer fell from the chair and landed between the rails. A train traveling at about 55 m.p.h. was approaching. Hale, 50, agricultural worker and another man were working outside a plant at the scene. They had heard the crossing’s warning bells, then looked to the track and saw Hammer fall. Hale and his coworker immediately ran to Hammer and grasped him about the arms as the train bore down at only slightly diminished speed. They dragged Hammer from the track just seconds before the train arrived and struck and destroyed Hammer’s wheelchair. Hammer sustained a broken leg bone, which required surgery. Hale was not injured.
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