An Alberta man walked away without a scratch after being run over by 26 train cars Sunday night in B.C, and police say alcohol along with his small stature likely saved him.

RCMP said the Canadian Pacific Railway train was rolling through Elko, B.C., just west of the Rocky Mountains when its engineer spotted a man lying on the tracks.

The engineer blew the train's whistle and slammed on the brakes, but couldn't stop the train fast enough, said Sgt. Dave Dubnyk with Elk Valley RCMP.

"It was unable to stop and went right over top of this gentleman and by the time the train stopped they were actually at the 26th car and this fellow was still laying underneath the train."

Dubnyk said the engineer was certain the train had killed the man.

"CP rail personnel grabbed this gentleman and seemed to rouse him out of his state of intoxicated unconsciousness. And he got up, grabbed his beer, and was on his way," said Dubnyk.

The man wandered to a nearby campground, where he was picked up by RCMP and put in detachment holding cells for the night to sober up.

Dubnyk says the man, incredibly, walked away from the incident without a scratch and speculates two things likely saved the man's life.

He was small enough for the train to pass over him, and the man was so intoxicated that he passed out and didn't move when the train went over him, said Dubnyk.