Teen Miraculously Survives Train Crash

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A 15-year-old girl learned a lesson in both miracles and paying attention on Wednesday, October 25, as she survived being hit by a freight train.

According to the Lyons Police Department, the teen was walking eastward on the train tracks, while listening to music through headphones. As the train approached the area along which she was walking, which was located near the intersection of the railroad tracks and South Monroe Street, it blew its horn several times, but the girl was unable to hear the alerts. The train engaged its brakes in an attempt to avoid the collision, but the weight of the train and the teen’s inattentiveness led to the crash.

The train hit the teen, causing her to spin and throwing her underneath it. She lay there as the train continued to pass until it had come to a complete stop and backed up to free her from the entrapment. Police say that the undercarriage of the train never caught any body part or caused further harm during her time under the train.

Upon authorities’ arrival at the scene, the victim was coherent and able to speak with first responders. She was transported by ambulance to the Memorial Health Meadows Hospital for medical treatment before later being transferred to the Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah.

The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the accident.

Lyons Police Chief Wesley Walker commented on the situation. “She’s lucky to be alive,” he emphasized. “The area that this happened in has a lot of foot traffic crossing the railroad tracks. People don’t realize that crossing these tracks is illegal – they are not owned by the city.”

He continued, explaining that these accidents between pedestrians and trains are often because pedestrians are distracted and do not see or realize that the train is coming toward them. “It is so important to pay attention and to look both ways before crossing the railroad,” Walker remarked. “You never know what’s coming.”

Walker shared that these types of events have led the city to partner with the railroad for the annual Clear The Tracks campaign, which works to bring awareness for safety protocol when crossing the train tracks as a pedestrian or driver. This event is currently slated for February 2024.