Ava Harlow loses part of her leg after being hit by a train
A 20-year-old college student fractured her skull and had part of her leg amputated below the knee after losing her footing and becoming trapped under a moving train in Boston.
Ava Harlow, from Amesbury, has been undergoing treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital since the night of the crash more than a week ago, relatives wrote on a GoFundme page.
According to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) police officials, at around 11:30 p.m. on January 27, Harlow got off a Green Line train at BU Central Station in Boston with a group of friends, but then she realized that a few other companions remained on the train, the Boston Globe reported.
Harlow knocked on the window to signal his buddies to get off the train and took a step in the direction the train was moving.
At this point, Harlow somehow slipped and fell under the train, which dragged her.
Specially trained firefighters were called to rescue the Bridgewater State University student. EMS, Boston Police and MBTA Police also responded to the scene.
Harlow’s father, Andrew Harlow, recalled receiving “the dreaded 3am phone call that no parent wants to receive” informing him that his daughter had been hit by a train.
The father tearfully told CBS Bostont that his daughter had to be resuscitated twice before being taken to intensive care and intubated.
Ava lost part of a leg and broke the other. She also suffered a fractured skull, a crushed pelvis, a broken arm and cuts to her face that required stitches, according to her father.
But despite the long list of injuries, Andrew Harlow said Ava was filled with gratitude to the firefighters and paramedics who helped save her life.
“The first thing she mentioned after being extubated was the guys,” he said, adding that he wanted to thank the first responders who tied his daughter’s tourniquet and resuscitated her.
Separately, Andrew told the Boston Herald that he blamed the MBTA for the crash and had retained an attorney.
“He might have [seen] that she was banging on the fucking side of the car and not walking away,” the relative said, apparently referring to the train operator. “They have mirrors. They have horns. They are supposed to honk before taking off.
The MBTA said the crash “does not appear to be the result of any mechanical failure or any MBTA employee”, the Daily News of Newburyport reported.
Meanwhile, a group of family friends calling themselves Ava’s “aunts” have started a GoFundMe campaign to help pay her medical bills and living expenses.
Dad Andrew, right, said his daughter was grateful to the first responders who saved her life.
Ava, pictured with her parents, graduated from Amesbury High School, where she was a basketball and field hockey star.
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The 20-year-old is a junior student studying criminal justice.
Friends fundraise to help Ava cover her medical and living expenses.
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“She is hardworking, smart, funny and has a big heart,” organizers wrote in the description of the online fundraiser, which has so far attracted more than $41,000 in donations.
A second GoFundMe page started by Ava’s high school friends raised more than $42,000 on Tuesday.
“Her parents, Jamie and Andrew, have to watch their only daughter go through this and we want to help make this horrible situation a little better in any way we can,” Ava’s childhood pals wrote.
Harlow graduated in 2021 from Amesbury High School, where she was an outstanding basketball and field hockey player. She is currently enrolled as a junior at Bridgewater State University, where she is studying criminal justice.
New York Post
