THERE IS AN ARM IN THIS BAG!
Race to save SI train victim’s limb
Luck turned out to be on the side of an unlucky Staten Island man whose arm was severed by a train.
The disturbed man, who deliberately let the train hit him Wednesday, caught a break thanks to an EMT who happened to be filling in that night and had some local tavern knowledge that saved the day.
Francis Jost — who was covering for another first responder at EMS 23 in Rossville — managed to quickly get ice in which to pack Jason Kilcullen’s arm because he knew of a nearby bar where he could get the supply he needed, the rescue worker said Thursday.
“I heard the cop on the radio say, ‘No, I found the arm.’ Once I heard ‘limb’ on the radio, I thought ICE, HOSPITAL, GO!” Jost told The Post, saying he directed another EMT to head straight to the Hot Shotz bar on Amboy Road.
“I live in that neighborhood, so I know there is a bar next to the [Pleasant Plains] station, and I know how far the hospital is, so I requested a bag of ice,” Jost said.
Kilcullen, 37, was taken to Staten Island University Hospital hospital after the 10:30 p.m. incident. As he was being treated, the EMTs retrieved the arm from the tracks, put it in an ice-packed plastic bag and then raced to get it reattached, Jost said.
“We were freezing in the truck! We kept the windows open and the A/C blasting the whole ride,” he said of his efforts to keep the limb cold.
“When we got to [the hospital], we didn’t even wait for the ambulance to park. I jumped out and ran in pointing at the bag. They were calling for ice and one nurse looked in and said, ‘No, it’s iced already.’ ”
Law-enforcement sources said Kilcullen has intentionally let himself be struck by trains at least twice — once in December 2016 and again in February 2017. He lost three fingers in one incident, sources said.
Kilcullen underwent surgery to reattach the arm but his condition was unknown.