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Lake City, Minn. (AP)

Pair rescue Lake City man from van stuck on tracks

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A Lake City man will be able to enjoy his Christmas thanks to two strangers who pulled him out of his minivan seconds before it was demolished by a train at a railroad crossing.

The Post-Bulletin in Rochester reports that 87-year-old Emery Henn got his minivan stuck on the tracks in Lake City Tuesday night after turning to avoid another car.

That's when Johnnie Zimmer and his nephew, Justin Widell, saw the van sitting on the tracks and a person inside.

Henn, who walks with a cane, was trying to get out of van but fell. Zimmer and Widell ran to him and helped him up when they heard the train whistle blowing. They were able to get him off the tracks just seconds before the train smashed into the van.

The engineer was not hurt and the train was not damaged.

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Information from: Post-Bulletin, http://www.postbulletin.com

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)