Car Stalled on Tracks

Seventeen year old, James Laboke of Old Orchard Beach saved an old mans life this morning from getting plowed into pieces by the Downeaster train.

On Labokes early morning walk to work at 6am he spotted a car stalled on the tracks. After banging on the window, he said the man was slumped over the steering wheel appearing to be unconscious. All the doors were locked and the cars engine was still running.

There is a passenger train operated by Amtrack called the Downeaster that runs through Old Orchard Beach around 6:10am every day. Once Laboke spotted the car he ran 100 yards to the police station to get help.

At 6:05am Janet Paradiso, Captian of the town police force was in her cruiser a mile away from the railroad crossing when she heard the call on the radio about the stalled vehicle. She arrived at the scene at 6:05, where she heard the trains whistle howl from a distance.

Paradiso knew she had little time to get the car off the tracks. So she rammed her police cruiser into the elderly mans Cadillac Seville and pushed it off of the tracks. Thirty seconds later, the train passed through at about 40 miles per hour.

The man in the car was 80-year-old Francois Truffaut, a tourist from Quebec City, Canada.

 "I don't remember a thing," said Truffaut who is a diabetic.

The police report said that Truffaut may have gone into insulin shock as he reached the railroad crossing.

After the incident, Laboke reported to work on time where he is a waiter at the Easy Breezy Restaurant. Laboke's boss, Charles Champagine learned about Laboke's heroic actions later from reporters calling the restauraunt. Laboke had  never mentioned to him what had happened.

"It doesn't surprise me at all," said Champaigne. "That young man is one of my most responsible employees. Hes's just as great kid."

Laboke said later, "I never thought about it. I just knew I couldn't let that man get crushed by a train."