PEMBERTON — A homeless Indiana man was injured when he jumped from a moving train east of Pemberton, Wednesday, Feb. 13.
He had hopped aboard in Indianapolis.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Port Jefferson Rescue and Sidney Medics responded to Guppy Street in Pemberton on a report that a male was found outside with exposure injuries at 9 a.m. According to the sheriff’s office’s report, Loren Ross, 30, of Indiana, was found by Pemberton resident Mark A. Burton when Burton was taking out the trash. Burton told deputies Ross was screaming for help, claiming to be “frozen” and “frostbitten.” Burton said he took Ross inside and called 911.
The report notes that when first responders arrived, medics began tending to Ross’s injuries. Ross gave names and dates of birth that were not able to be verified by dispatchers. The report noted, “There was no doubt Ross was cold, but he did not have any obvious indicators of extreme cold injury.” His wounds, the report said, to his face, nose, forehead and top of his head appeared to be puncture wounds that were “bleeding freely.” Ross’s right arm was clutched to his chest and also appeared injured.
The responding deputy searched the area for signs of a crash, but found none. The deputy did find a pair of fresh footprints in the snow from the area of the wood line near the CSX Railroad toward Guppy Street.
Ross was transported by Sidney medics to Wilson Health. The deputy met up with Ross at Wilson to clarify his identity. Ross was informed that he may face charges for trespassing on railroad property if he was unwilling to cooperate. After speaking with the deputy at length, Ross admitted he had jumped from a moving train just east of Pemberton and had been hurt there. Ross said he boarded the train in Indianapolis, thinking it would take him a little way down the track, but once the train left Indianapolis, it did not slow down. Ross told the deputy he rode the train for hours until he could no longer tolerate the cold. When the train slowed down near Pemberton, Ross said he worked himself to the edge of the train car and jumped off.
According to witness accounts and the CSX dispatch, it is likely Ross jumped off the train Wednesday around 7:30 a.m., the report said. It is possible he lost consciousness and lay along the side of the tracks for some time before he was found. Ross was uncertain, the report said.
Due to Ross’s injuries, he was transported from Wilson Health to the Miami Valley Trauma Center for further treatment. CSX was notified of the incident.
