One of the great things about my job is it allows me to meet some of the most incredible people in the world.
One of those people is Truman Duncan of Cleburne.
His father and grandfather were railroad engineers. As a boy, he dreamed of working on the railroad.
So it was no surprise when Duncan got a job at Greenbrier Rail Services in Cleburne, repairing and refurbishing trains.
But three years ago, he was in a terrible accident. He slipped while he was trying to connect two train cars.
One of the big wheels on the 20,000-pound rail car cut off his legs and part of his pelvis.
Incredibly, he was able to make his own cell phone call to 911.
“I think I’m cut in two,” he told the 911 operator. While waiting for rescue workers, he asked co-workers to get him a cigarette and a cup of water.
Below is a photo from the Cleburne Fire Department showing his actual rescue.
Doctors say it’s a miracle Duncan survived. But he did.
He was in such bad shape when he arrived at the hospital, his family didn’t think he would make it. His 17-year-old son Trey said goodbye to him.
Duncan spent 4 months and one day in a Fort Worth hospital. He underwent 23 surgeries.
He’s now confined to a wheelchair, but he hardly lets it rule his life.
He still mows his own yard, plays football, swims, and recently built a patio deck in back of his home.
He has the best attitude, a philosophy of life that somehow got him over such huge medical hurdles.
He’s now back at work, doing a desk job, at the same rail yard where the accident happened. His boss jokes that he keeps asking for more work.
It’s a pleasure to help tell Truman’s story.
He is an inspiration.
Gordon Gabs 