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Volunteers build ramp for boy hurt in train accident
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BATON ROUGE - A young boy has something to be thankful for this holiday season, now that volunteers have stepped in to make his transition back home from the hospital a safe one.
Julius Jackson was in a train accident on September 3, 2018, between Apple Street and Louise Street. He'll be using a wheelchair as his leg heals, which makes it difficult to get in and out of the elevated home where he lives.
Chris Andrews, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Baton Rouge says he received a phone call from Our Lady of the Lake Hospital asking if his team of volunteers could assist in building a ramp to meet Julius' needs.
"It's what we do; we help elderly people, we help veterans and we help people with special needs and without this service, I don't know where Julius would be, he certainly couldn't come home," said Andrews.
Rebuilding Together Baton Rouge says Julius might still be in the hospital if a generous donor hadn't stepped up to buy the supplies for the ramp. Andrews says the organization didn't waver and checked with the property owner to make sure they could add the ramp to the lot.
The group of Mennonites doing the work at Julius' home are from different areas of the United States and Canada. They've been working as a team with Rebuilding Together Baton Rouge helping to repair homes from the August 2016 flood.
"They're gracious enough to step aside from flood work and come out and do this special thing when we need them," said Andrews.
Julius says he was playing near the tracks with friends in September when he fell as a train passed by and he got caught underneath. He tells 2 On Your Side he won't be playing near trains again and he'd like to become a member of law enforcement when he grows older. He's thankful the group of volunteers helped him out.
"They're doing a good job building the ramp," said Julius.
Rebuilding Together Baton Rouge is funded by corporate sponsors, individuals, donations, and grants.
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