(Richmond, Virginia – August 5, 2011)
A man operating a scooter and crossing CSX Railroad tracks at Broad Rock Boulevard in south Richmond, VA Friday night lost not only his right arm below the elbow when hit by a CSX freight train, but, as he lay by the railroad tracks awaiting EMT’s to arrive, a bystander picked his pocket of $240.
Ronald Anatalek, 38, who moved back to Richmond, VA several years ago to help his mother, Sylvia Barton, battle ovarian cancer, evidently had his scooter’s path altered by the flange ways and the rails, causing him to fall in front of the train.
As is so often with post-accident trauma, Antalek had no recollection of the events that led up to the accident. The victim’s right leg was also seriously injured, but surgeons at VCU Medical Center were able to save it. Facing thousands of dollars in medical costs for her uninsured son, Barton indicated her hope that CSX might cover some of the bill.
