A Superior man whose foot was amputated when he slipped under train wheels Saturday in the Union Pacific rail yard in Itasca remains in serious condition at St. Mary's Medical Center, Duluth.
Jeffrey P. Ayotte, 54, a railroad employee, had been involved in switching cars at the rail yard when the accident occurred shortly after noon Saturday, according to Superior Police Capt. Matt Markon.
Ayotte was one of four men building a train with the rail cars rolling free after being given a push from a locomotive, according to a Superior police report. Two of the men heard something unintelligible from Ayotte over their portable radios. When they went to investigate, they saw that his left foot had been run over by a train.
Officer Gerald Beauchamp noted there were drag marks for about 10 feet to the north from where it appeared Ayotte originally slipped under the train wheels.
"It appears the train rolled about that far before coming to a stop, taking Ayotte with it," he wrote in the report.
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Kim Kaiser, spokeswoman for SMDC, said Ayotte was listed in serious condition at St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth Monday.
