MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Two teenagers were injured after walking on train tracks on Thursday.
Two 18-year-old women were walking on the CSX railroad bridge next to Searcy Street Greenway around 4:30 p.m.
Murfreesboro Police report that as the train approached, the two women and a dog attempted to run to get off the tracks.
Only one of the women could get off the railroad bridge before the train hit the woman with the dog. The woman fell 35 feet to the ground after being struck by the train.
Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department and Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services treated the woman at the scene. Officials could not locate the dog after the incident.
The woman was taken to Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital and was Lifeflighted to Vanderbilt Medical Center, where she is receiving treatment for multiple severe injuries.
Murfreesboro Fire Department Rescue 4 Captain Chief Matt Young gave a statement about safety and train tracks following the incident.
"From a distance, it’s hard to hear a train coming. Train tracks are dangerous, and no one should ever walk on them," the statement said.
Lieutenant Greg Walker with the Murfreesboro Police Department also gave a warning to residents about walking on railroads:
Walking on train tracks is dangerous and illegal. Most don’t realize how quickly a train can approach you and it takes quite a bit of time for it to stop. More than often, it doesn’t end well when a person encounters a train. Simply avoiding walking on a train track can potentially save a life.
Railroad tracks are considered private property and violators could potentially face charges federally or locally for trespassing or aggravated trespassing on the tracks.
According to the Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration, more than 400 people in the United States are hit and killed by trains each year.
