Cops: Drunk Hammond biker clotheslined by train gate

HAMMOND | Police say a Hammond man celebrated his release from prison by getting wasted and driving his bicycle into a railroad crossing gate Monday evening.

A passing Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District train stopped to check on a person laying on the ground south of the tracks near the Torrence Avenue crossing about 7 p.m.

NICTD police arrived to find Ricky Davis, 49, of Hammond, laying next to the tracks with cuts and scrapes.

Davis, who police say was drunk, said he he had been trying to beat the train but didn't know how he wound up on the ground next to the tracks.

A train engineer said he saw Davis heading north on his bike when he smashed into the south crossing gate and was knocked back off his bike, according to a police report.

Davis' bike wasn't damaged but Davis was taken to St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers in Hammond, the report said.

Police took the bike to Davis' home where his brother, also drunk, said Davis had just been released from prison and had been drinking all day.

Posted in Hammond on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 8:30 pm Updated: 8:55 pm.