Track Where St. Paul Boy Lost Feet Lacks Required Fence

ST. PAUL (AP) - The railroad track where a 9-year-old boy's feet were severed in St. Paul last month was not guarded by a fence as required by state law.

Authorities say Marshawn Farr-Robinson climbed onto a slow-moving train about a block from his home on tracks belonging to BNSF Railway. He fell and a train amputated both his feet.

A report says a well-worn path leads to the tracks. The path is considered a shortcut between two neighborhoods, despite a clearly posted no-trespassing sign on the railroad's property.

And the report says there's no fence, despite a century-old Minnesota law requiring railroads to "build and maintain good and substantial fences" on each side of their lines. The law can be pivotal in liability lawsuits.