11 Year Old Indianapolis Child Loses Left Leg to CSX Freight Train
(Indianapolis, Indiana – August 7, 2017)
An 11-year-old girl, walking her dog along CSX Railroad tracks on the west side of Indianapolis, IN, suffered the loss of her left leg after being “pulled beneath the train and dragged through rocks,” according to her grandfather, on a double-track CSX main line on the west side of town Monday afternoon at about 4:00 P.M., EST.
Breanna Brooks had been dismissed from classes at Garden City Elementary School only 20 minutes before the tragic accident, which occurred along a seemingly unfenced section of rails that carry 11 CSX trains daily at maximum speeds of 40 mph.
Her actions were not unusual, as neighbors along the densely tree-lined track told WTHR-TV, Channel 13 that “it is not uncommon to see people of all ages walking along the tracks” in the area between South Lynhurst Drive and Holt Road, near Rockville Road.
The young girl was airlifted to Riley Hospital for Children, where she underwent surgery for her crippling injuries on Monday, and was due for additional surgery Wednesday. She was admitted in critical but stable condition.
There was no word on the fate of the family dog.