Hickory man hit by train

Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2007

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

A Hickory man hit by a train Monday night was in serious condition Tuesday after coming out of surgery, authorities said.

John Kirk Neal, 42, was standing too close to the railroad tracks that cross through downtown Hickory and was hit when a train passed through about 10:30 p.m. Monday, police said.

Authorities said Neal was taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where he had surgery and is in serious condition. They are not sure whether alcohol was a factor.

It was the third time in six months that a passing train in Hickory has hit a person near the railroad tracks.

On Nov. 5, a train hit and killed Mack Junior Johnson when he lost control of his bicycle in a crosswalk near the railroad. On July 31, another train hit and critically injured Lester Glass, who was walking near the tracks in southeast Hickory.

All three accidents happened less than a mile from each other.


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