Boy Hit by Train Has Surgery on Leg

A 10-year-old boy who used a tourniquet to save himself when his leg was severed by a train had surgery to help prepare him for a prosthetic limb.

Doctors removed some of what remained of Alex Compton’s severed leg so the prosthetic limb could be attached, Greenville Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Robyn Zimmerman said. He is listed in fair condition.

Alex was trying to cross railroad tracks near his home Monday when his foot got stuck and he was hit by the train.

Remembering first aid that his mother taught him during her training to become a nurse, he used his belt to make a tourniquet. Authorities said his quick thinking saved his life.