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Man lying on tracks loses both legs when struck by train near Sparks

Officials said a man lying on railroad tracks has lost both legs when a Union Pacific freight train struck him late Saturday east of Sparks.

The man was taken by medical helicopter to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno.

Washoe County Deputy Sheriff Armando Avina told the Reno Gazette-Journal that investigators do not know why the man was lying on the tracks.

The site is about one-half mile east of the Vista Boulevard exit to Interstate 80 near Sparks.

The man, who wasn't immediately identified, told police that one or two others might have been in the area, but investigators did not find anyone else.

No information was immediately available on what the train was carrying or how fast it had been traveling.

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