Mass. Woman, 20, Fractures Skull and Loses Part of a Leg After Fall Left Her Trapped Below Train
GoFundMe
A Massachusetts woman is on the road to recovery after she was seriously injured when she became trapped underneath a train in Boston.
Ava Harlow, 20, of Amesbury, fell underneath a Green Line trolley at the BU Central Station late Friday night as the train was leaving the station, CBS affiliate WBZ-TV and FOX affiliate WFXT reported
MBTA police said the victim attempted to get friends' attention by "knocking on the trolley window" before she "lost her balance" and fell, according to The Boston Herald.
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After Harlow was rescued from beneath the train car, she was transported to Brigham and Women's Hospital in critical condition, WBZ reported.
She sustained numerous injuries, including a fractured skull, a broken arm, a broken leg and a crushed pelvis, according to report. One of Harlow's legs was amputated below the knee.
She "has a long, difficult road ahead of her" as she recovers from the "horrific accident," according to a GoFundMe started by Ava's "Aunties."
Harlow still needs "several more surgeries" to address her injuries, and "will require a prosthesis," they said on the fundraising site.
GoFundMe
MBTA Transit Police spokesman Richard Sullivan said the accident occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Friday evening, according to the Herald.
Ava's father Andrew Harlow told the newspaper he received a "dreaded" phone call about his daughter around 3 a.m. the next morning.
His daughter was resuscitated twice, he also said, adding that someone had tied a tourniquet around one of her injuries at the scene of the accident, according to WBZ-TV.
Harlow was later "intubated" and put on "about seven different medications" while recovering in the intensive care unit," her father added.
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MBTA Transit Police said the accident "does not appear to be the result of any mechanical or MBTA employee failure," according to WFXT and The Daily News of Newburyport.
However, Harlow's father believes the accident was preventable, telling the Herald that the trolley driver should have seen his daughter banging on the windows of the train before pulling away.
"They have mirrors. They have horns. They're supposed to toot the horn before they take off," he told the newspaper.
He also told the Herald that his family is "retaining a lawyer," though it is unclear if the family is pursuing legal action.
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At least two GoFundMe campaigns are raising money to support the young woman and her family, including one started by her fellow graduates of Amesbury High School.
The organizers said Ava played field hockey and basketball during her time at the school and called her a "great friend that has anyone's back."
Harlow is currently studying criminal justice at Bridgewater State University, according to the Herald and The Boston Globe. She made the Dean's List last semester, according to the college's website.
Nearly $65,000 has been raised for Harlow and her family via GoFundMe since Friday's accident.
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The firefighters involved in her rescue plan to meet with Harlow and her family soon, according to WBZ.
Her father told the station that he hopes to thank the individuals that helped save his daughter's life. "I'm just grateful to the guys," he said.
