Iowa Needs More Thin Ice

From today's Des Moines Register:

A man was hit by a train Saturday afternoon as he reportedly tried to put a coin on the railroad tracks.

Robert Wrisberg, 47, of Davenport was struck in the head by a ladder on a railcar near the end of the train, said his nephew, Kyle Ostrander, who was with Wrisberg at the time.

“I tried to pull him out of the way, but he was knocked out,” Ostrander said. “We were just messing around. I hope he’s OK.”

Ostrander called 911 on his cell phone and tried to revive his uncle until a rescue crew arrived. He said Wrisberg was breathing and conscious when rescue workers arrived.

The accident occurred about 2:25 p.m.

Rescue workers had to use a system of ropes, harnesses and a rescue basket to lift Wrisberg up a rocky incline to street level and into an ambulance.

He was taken to Genesis Medical Center in Davenport. A condition report was not immediately available.

OK, I enjoy seeing a squashed coin as much as the next guy, but the usual convention is to lay it on the tracks, and then leave before the train comes! He was 47. Where I come from, these sort of guys usually fall through thin ice in their pickups before age 30. I guess where nature isn't harsh enough to wean out the stupid, the railroad has to take over.