Poor, Defenseless Student Attacked By Mean, Sneaky Train
SOUTH CAMPUS- On Thursday, March 18th John B. Lamarck ’13 was filming for a Titular Head production, minding his own business, when he was struck by a southbound Union Pacific train near the Forum. Friends pulled the train off him, Lamarck was rushed to Grinnell Regional Medical Center and later flown by helicopter to University of Iowa Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to reconstruct his shattered dignity.
The train, known for being one of the more vicious engines in the Union Pacific fleet, may have targeted Lamarck due to a prejudice against college students or the presence of a video camera. Police are holding the camera and footage of the attack as evidence, and officers have been pressuring Lamarck’s family to prosecute the train to discourage other locomotives from assaulting students. College officials are worried about the recent rise in train attacks on campus, which have jumped to a record 1 case in the last 164 years.
“Remember, most people aren’t assaulted by strange trains, but by trains they already know,” said Grinnell Police Chief Jodi Matherly, who is leading the investigation.
“It was reckless and irresponsible,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Houston Dougharty, who was with Lamarck in the hospital. Dougharty added that the train could face trespassing charges from the College, which would ban the engine from crossing campus in the future. The engine is currently being held at Grinnell Police Station pending transfer to Newton Correctional Facility and a court appearance in Des Moines.
Lamarck told family at the hospital that the train attacked him from behind, undetected, and may have decided to target him when they met at a party in Dibble Lounge the previous weekend.
“I didn’t think there was anything suspicious about it at the time,” said Lamarck. “I guess I should have been on my guard.” He is expected to make a full recovery, but his parents are prosecuting Union Pacific for allowing a dangerous locomotive to screw around near college students.
Previously, the College did not have problems with the railroad, until some idiot train did something stupid.
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