PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A freight train severed the leg of a transient walking through Portland on his way from the recent Rainbow Family gathering.
The 23-year-old man, James Piles, told reporters Tuesday at the hospital that he enjoys walking beside trains, but this time a car caught his backpack and spun him around.
Piles says he wound up beneath the train, and knew the instant it happened that he’d lost his leg. His left leg was cut just below the knee.
He says he’s been on the road for six years and makes his way by doing odd jobs and eating at soup kitchens.
