FELA Lawyer News Blog

WELLINGTON, KS — The town of Wellington, Kansas, has rallied around Kevin Beggs, 45, a well-known resident of Wellington. Beggs, a BNSF railroad employee, was injured over a month ago on July 9, 2013, when he was pinned under the wheels of a rail car with critical injuries to his lower legs. It took 45 minutes to extricate him from under the rail car.

Photo shows injured BNSF railroad worker, Kevin Beggs (middle), three weeks after the train accident. Also in the photo (left to right) are: Molly Beggs, Andrew Schipley, Elliot Beggs, Kevin Beggs, Melinda Schipley-Beggs, Daniel Schipley, Jackson Beggs and Beth Gaston.

The accident occurred at about 2:20 a.m. on July 9, as Beggs and other BNSF Railway employees were moving cars around the rail yard to prepare the next train for departure when suddenly Beggs was thrown from one of the cars. Beggs hit the ground, not far enough away from the railcar and was pinned between the tracks and the wheels. The train ran over the upper portion of Beggs’ legs, and for 45 agonizing minutes, he remained there, alert, while others tried to free him.

According to Wellington Fire Chief Tim Hay, rescue crews used a jack to lift the train. Kanasas.com reports that since the incident, Beggs has remained at Via Christi Hospital on St. Francis.

Beggs was employed by BNSF Railway since 2006 but remained active in the Wellington community. He had previously owned and operated a bakery for 10 years before his employment at BNSF, and remained active as part of the community, driving kids to and from the First Free Will Baptist Church in town on Wednesdays for its weekly youth program. Beggs is also a former president of the Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce.

When word spread throughout the small town south of Wichita that Beggs was injured in a train accident, the folks rallied around him.

On Saturday, August 3, family and friends hosted a benefit dinner and bake sale at the Knights of Columbus building from 5 to 7 p.m. A fund has also been set up at the Panhandle Federal Credit Union in Wellington.

Jane Cole, a close friend of the family, said Beggs is pretty lucky to have survived.

“There is absolutely no reason he should have made it through this,” she said. “But he did… there’s a reason.”

Beggs and his family now face an uncertain future.

Blog post by Gordon, Elias & Seely, a FELA lawyer and Kansas railroad injury lawyer who publishes train accidents and FELA legal news from across the United States.

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