Train Runs Over Passed-Out Man in Delaware County

A 15-year-old girl from Swarthmore passed out on the tracks with a guy. They'd both been drinking police say. She woke up in time. He didn't.

A freight train ran over a young man who was passed out on the tracks with a girl, according to police in Ridley Township, Delaware County, Pa.

The girl, 15, woke up as the train approached. She tried to wake up her friend, but couldn't.

Police say the two had been drinking on the tracks and both passed out.

Rich Droxler, 23, was hit and killed. The girl was also hit. She survived and is being treated for deep cuts on one of her arms, and cuts and abrasions on her legs.

Right before the accident, the train operator saw what he thought was a pile of clothes on the tracks, police say. The operator tried to slow down.

When the train rolled through the Ridley Township area near Young Avenue, where the accident happened, it was going between 35 and 50 mph.

The line was shut for several hours as investigators and the medical examiner worked.


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