Girl Severs Legs Trying to Hop Onto Moving Colo. Train

LONGMONT, Colo. --

A 17-year-old girl severed both her legs when she fell under a moving freight train while trying to hop onto the train with three friends Monday afternoon, Longmont police said.

The girl is a student at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, said Longmont Police Cmdr. Jeff Satur. Authorities need to notify her family members, who live out of state, before releasing her name, he said.

The accident happened at about 1:35 p.m. as the girl and three male friends were sitting near the train tracks in Longmont when a northbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe train rolled through town.

Spontaneously, the four decided to try to hop the slow-moving train, Satur said.

Two in the group -- a 21-year-old Broomfield man and 17-year-old Fort Collins boy -- made it onto the train, Satur said.

But the girl fell under the train and her legs were severed near the knees, Satur said.

Another friend, Charles Robert Hamilton, 25, of Gillette, Wyo., pulled the girl from under the train and moved her to a parking area, Satur said.

A nurse who was driving by saw the accident, called 911 and gave the girl first aid, Satur said.

The girl was rushed by ambulance to Longmont United Hospital and then airlifted to Denver Health Medical Center.

Andy Williams, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, said the accident involved a training pulling about 100 empty coal cars. Williams said the train would have been traveling no more than 25 mph, because that's the speed limit in the town.

"Trespassing on railroad property is dangerous and this speaks to that," Williams said. "You're risking your life by doing it."

Satur said the 17-year-old Fort Collins boy jumped off the train and was treated for a scrape on his arm. The boy wasn't identified because he's a juvenile.

The boy and Hamilton were cited for trespassing, Satur said.

The Broomfield man who jumped on the train left the scene, Satur said. Police have identified the man, but will not release his name until they locate him.

It's unclear if the badly injured girl will be cited, he added.

She "paid the ultimate price," Satur said.

The train was stopped in Longmont for several hours while the accident was investigated.

People who work nearby said it's common for people to hop on trains in that area.

"This is a spot where they switch a lot of loads," said Chris Bradley, who works nearby. "The trains are always really slow, and it's just a perfect spot for kids to play with the train, I guess."

A Burlington Northern Santa Fe train idles while police investigate an accident that severed a 17-year-old girl's legs.