(KING) Monday was supposed to an exciting day for 81-year-old Rudy Wetzel. The longtime rail enthusiast jumped on board the brand new 6 a.m. Amtrak train from Seattle to Portland. Wetzel only planned to take it to Centralia, but he didn't make it that far. The train derailed with him on board.
"It's just total shock. I thought initially it was an explosion," Wetzel said. "I was trying to sleep and when the crash occurred it was totally dark and I could only see a little bit."
"I felt that any minute this whole thing was going to collapse on me," he said.
Wetzel broke his back in multiple places, but the 81-year-old still managed to crawl out of the wreckage.
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