Lindsey Marie Michaels was a 21-year-old college student, who her mom described as a “good kid.” She thought it would be fun to “train hop” with her boyfriend, but that adventure turned fatal for the college junior.
Lindsey and her boyfriend hopped a train in Pittsburg around 2:30 in the morning. The Norfolk Southern coal train had been traveling around 3 to 4 mph through the area of Pittsburgh, where the couple jumped on the train , but then it picked up speed, according to Fox News.
According to reports, Lindsey was dragged under the train while attempting to hop onboard. The train ran over the college student when she fell between two cars, killing her. The unnamed boyfriend also fell from the train and hurt his ankle at the same time.
According to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 , the tragic accident happened along the Norfolk Southern tracks near South 7th Street and P.J. McArdle Roadway. Action News 4 described Lindsey falling between two train cars and dragged.
She was a “good kid” who had just turned 21, her mom said https://t.co/wg3zC3WFVz
— New York Post (@nypost) September 5, 2017
According to Lindsey’s mother, her daughter and her boyfriend had been drinking alcohol that day, but neither of them could be described as “big drinkers.” The two went to the Pitt game earlier in the day and returned to her mother’s home, where they two took a nap. They attended a cookout at the mother’s home before the couple went over to the South Side, where their night ended in tragedy.
The long freight train was pulling 130 cars through the area of Pittsburgh where Lindsey and her boyfriend ended up, according to Jon Glass, who is a spokesperson for Norfolk Southern. The crew on the train didn’t see anyone attempting to hop on the train, and they were unaware that anyone was hit or run over by the train.
LATEST: Officials say Lindsey Michaels, a Carlow University student, was killed while “train hopping” this morning: https://t.co/2ohynLTSwj pic.twitter.com/jvT3JVHWqX
— KDKA (@KDKA) September 4, 2017
Lindsey’s mother told reporters that her daughter had just turned 21 and described her as “a good kid.” She said her daughter was in her junior year of college and on the dean’s list at Carlow University in Pittsburgh.
She believed her daughter and boyfriend “thought it would be fun to try to jump on a train,” reports Fox News. Lindsey’s mom also told reporters that her daughter’s boyfriend was beside himself over Lindsey’s death.
The University that Lindsey attended released a statement, stating, “We mourn her loss.”
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