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| UD students John Hawley, John Barr and Justin Alms pulled a man from a car stuck on the railroad tracks in Newark moments before it was hit by a CSX locomotive at 1:04 a.m., Nov. 2. |
2:30 p.m., Nov. 27, 2002--UD students John Barr, John Hawley and Justin Alms got much more than they bargained for when they set out across campus to a friend’s house on the night of Nov. 2. What started as an average Saturday night out tuned into an adrenaline-rush experience and unforgettable lesson in life saving.
On their way down Main Street in a car with several other acquaintances, the three students noticed a car sitting on the railroad tracks near the Deer Park Tavern.
“I thought it was a police officer,” said Barr. “Then we noticed that the door was open and the front bumper was sitting on the railing. The wheels weren’t getting any traction.”
Barr and his friends got out of their car to assist the driver in pushing his vehicle off the tracks. That’s when things started to get surreal.
“Justin said, ‘Good thing the train’s not coming,’” Barr recalled. “Then the lights came on and the gates started coming down.”
Barr told the driver, “Buddy, you’ve got to get out of the car,” but the driver, obviously intoxicated, did not respond. With the train closing in, Barr and Hawley dragged the driver out of his vehicle, seconds before the train hit the car and dragged it, shoving the wreck into the fence behind the Deer Park.
Shortly after, the police arrived and charged the driver with drunken driving, as well as stopping on a railroad crossing and failure to provide proof of insurance.
Barr and his friends headed home as heroes, after having had more than enough excitement for one night.
“We didn’t plan on going out and saving anyone’s life,” Barr said. “Everyone acted on instinct. But, we felt really good about it afterwards.”
Barr and Alms are juniors in the College of Engineering and Hawley is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Science. All three are from Hockessin.
Article by Jeanine McGann
Photo by Duane Perry
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