A 33-year-old man died, but a 12-year-old girl survived after both were struck by a train in Ohio.
“It’s a true miracle she’s here,” Angel Franklin told ABC affiliate WSYX of her granddaughter, McKenna, who was seriously injured in the crash on Friday, Feb. 13, in Marion.
The girl is expected to recover, but her rescuer, Dalton McMillen, did not survive.
Around 8:40 p.m. local time that Friday, officials received a call from railroad company CSX reporting that a train had hit two pedestrians near the Kenton Avenue crossing, according to a statement from the Marion Police Department.
When officers arrived, McMillen was pronounced dead at the scene. McKenna, who was seriously injured, had to be extricated from underneath the train and was later airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Columbus. An investigation remains ongoing, and police said there were no additional updates available.
In a separate statement, CSX said the collision occurred when the train “came into contact with two individuals who were on the tracks near Kenton Ave.” The company offered condolences to those affected and said it would continue cooperating with law enforcement, adding that no injuries were reported among the train crew.
CSX also emphasized rail safety, urging motorists and pedestrians to stay alert around tracks and to cross only at designated public crossings with proper signals or gates.
According to WSYX, McMillen, a family friend, and McKenna were walking close to the tracks on the way to buy candy at a store in Marion when they were struck and pulled underneath the train. Franklin, whose boyfriend is McMillen’s roommate, told the outlet that McMillen used his own body to shield McKenna.
McKenna spent time in the ICU while recovering from a concussion and a brain bleed. Her father later said she had returned home and was “improving greatly.”
Fundraisers have been created to help cover McKenna’s medical expenses and to support McMillen’s family. One organizer, who identified herself as his sister, said the family is “completely devastated” by his death.
“My brother Dalton McMillen died admirably and is a true hero for laying his life down to save a child,” she wrote. “God bless him and you all.”
