NY agency investigates how disabled teen got to railroad where he was hit by a train

From WKBW-TV in Buffalo, N.Y.:

A 15-year-old boy with mental disabilities is in critical but stable condition at ECMC today after being hit by a train yesterday.

The teen was participating in a Challenged Athletes Participating In Sports baseball game near Main and Fuller Streets in the City of Tonawanda. He and another individual from the same group home were being supervised by two staff members from People Inc.

Somehow, the teen made it up a hill to the nearby train tracks.

The engineer and the conductor told police that they had rounded the bend and noticed someone between the tracks. They blew the whistle to alert him to move, but police say the crew felt that blowing the whistle attracted him closer to the train.

He was struck, and is now in the trauma unit at ECMC with several fractures.

People Inc., who had two staff members supervising the teen, is conducting an investigation along with the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

They are also in contact with the teen's family.

Despite the incident, People Inc. says it will continue to bring individuals in its programs to community events throughout the summer because community interaction and integration is one of the agency's main goals.