Girl Dies Train Hopping in Pittsburgh

Girl Dies Train Hopping in Pittsburgh
The approximate location where Lindsey Michaels was killed in a train accident in Pittsburgh on Sept. 3, 2017. Screenshot via Google Maps
Petr Svab
Petr Svab
reporter
|Updated:

A girl lost her life after she fell on the tracks while hopping a freight train early Sunday morning, Sept. 3, in Pittsburgh.

Lindsey Michaels, 21, of Dormont, Pennsylvania, was out with her boyfriend when they decided to hop a 130-car freight train moving slowly along the South Side Flats neighborhood around 2:30 a.m.

Michaels fell onto the tracks and was dragged, WTAE reported. Her boyfriend suffered an ankle injury.

The couple went to a Pitt Panthers game, attended a cookout, and drank alcohol that day, before going to the South Side area of the city, Michaels’s mother said.

Michaels was a graduate of Keystone Oaks High School and a junior at Carlow University. She was on the dean’s list studying biology.

Norfolk Southern, the company operating the train, released the following statement:

“The train, moving 130 cars loaded with coal, was traveling at about 3 to 4 mph through this area and then began to pick up speed. The train crew did not see anyone trying to jump on the train and was not aware that anyone might have been hit.”

The approximate location where Lindsey Michaels was killed in a train accident in Pittsburgh on Sept. 3, 2017. (Screenshot via Google Maps)
The approximate location where Lindsey Michaels was killed in a train accident in Pittsburgh on Sept. 3, 2017. Screenshot via Google Maps
Petr Svab
Petr Svab
reporter
Petr Svab is a reporter covering New York. Previously, he covered national topics including politics, economy, education, and law enforcement.
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