A homeless man who survived being hit once by a car and once by a train — all in the span of seven hours — is a “pretty lucky fellow,” Boulder police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said Wednesday.

Robert Evans, 46, told police he was involved in a hit-and-run accident at Folsom Street and Canyon Boulevard around 10 p.m. Tuesday, when a car struck him while he was on his bike.

He was taken to Boulder Community Hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Huntley said police are still investigating the incident to see if they can track down a driver.

After being released from the hospital around 3 a.m. Wednesday, Evans told police he began a four- to five-mile trek to a campsite he uses in east Boulder.

Around 4:45 a.m., he decided to cross a railroad bridge between Pearl Parkway and Valmont Road, Huntley said. That’s when an empty Burlington Northern Santa Fe coal train hit him and his bike, sending him plunging 10 feet into a creek below.

Evans sustained non-life-threatening injuries to his head and leg and was listed in good condition at Boulder Community Hospital late Wednesday.

He declined to speak to the media.

“He decided he was going to use the train bridge as a shortcut and try to beat the train,” Huntley said.

Evans was struck by the railing of a staircase on the side of the locomotive, which Huntley said was proceeding at about 18 mph.

“They go slowly through town,” she said.

The conductor stopped the train after hitting Evans and, because of the number of cars in the train, ended up blocking both Pearl Parkway and Valmont Road while police responded to the scene. The roads were re-opened less than three hours later.

“They were very cooperative, and they tried to render aid immediately,” Huntley said of BNSF personnel who went to check on Evans after he tumbled into the water.

She said Evans will likely be issued a ticket for trespassing because the bridge is restricted to train traffic.