Railroad trespassing survivor tells story of life-changing accident
in Norfolk Southern video
Mark Kalina Jr. says the biggest
lesson he learned: ‘I am not invincible.’
NORFOLK, VA.,
August 31, 2015 -- Mark Kalina Jr. survived being run over by a freight train,
but he lost both legs in the accident. In a gripping new safety
video produced by
Norfolk Southern, Kalina warns of the tragic consequences of trespassing on
railroad tracks.
"I'm
kind of a shock-and-awe story because I can physically show people what can
happen if they trespass on railroad tracks,” Kalina says. "I hope when people
hear my story, they will learn from my mistake so they don't make the same one."
Norfolk
Southern is encouraging colleges and universities with campuses situated near
railroad tracks to share the video with students. “If we could make more people
aware that it’s not only illegal, but very dangerous, to walk on railroad
tracks, I think we could save a lot of lives,”
Kalina says.
In the video, Kalina
recalls
the October 2012 night when he decided to take a shortcut home across the
railroad tracks near The
Ohio State University,
where he was a civil engineering student. As he walked around a stopped train,
he slipped on some gravel and snagged his shirt on a rail car -- just as the
train started moving. Unable to free himself, Kalina
climbed onto a ladder on the car but lost his balance and fell. His body was
pulled underneath the train.
“I covered my
head with my hands as the train rolled over me,” he says. “It felt like hours
till the train passed, and when I turned over, I saw my left leg was cut
off.”
Lying on the
tracks, Kalina used his cell phone to call for help. The video uses the actual
recording of his 911 call as he directs a helicopter to his location. It also
features a re-enactment of the accident.
The train severed
both of Kalina’s legs and most of one pinky finger. He spent 17 days in a
hospital and then weeks in rehabilitation learning to walk on prosthetics.
Since then, the
25-year-old Twinsburg, Ohio, resident has dedicated himself to promoting
railroad safety. He travels across the country as a spokesperson for the rail
safety organization Operation
Lifesaver, supporting its
See Tracks? Think
Train! trespasser
prevention campaign. Last year, 495 people across the United States lost their
lives while trespassing on train tracks, a 15 percent increase compared with
2013, according to Federal Railroad Administration statistics. An additional 415
people were injured.
Currently
attending Cuyahoga Community
College in Cleveland,
Ohio, Kalina is also the founder of the nonprofit Mark Kalina Jr.
Foundation, which supports
others who have lost limbs due to traumatic accidents.
About Norfolk
Southern
Norfolk Southern
Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is
one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern
Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and
the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern
United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers.
Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and
is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial
products.
View the video on
Norfolk Southern’s YouTube channel:
Media
Inquiries:
Investor Inquiries:
Katie
Cook, 757-629-2861 (InvestorRelations@nscorp.com)