Lindsey Marie Michaels, 21, Killed in Train Hopping Accident

This is devastating. Lindsey Marie Michaels, a 21-year-old perfusion student at Carlow University, died in Pittsburgh, PA, after train hopping with her boyfriend. The young man, who has not been identified, only sustained an ankle injury. According to Urban Dictionary, train hopping is "a term used when using a subway and walking from one subway to another at the arrival of a station. Common uses of train hopping are when your exit at the station is at a certain place and you want to get as close to it as possible when the Subway comes to a stop at your station."

The incident took place near South Eighth Street at roughly 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. The train continued along the Norfolk Southern train tracks and stopped in Etna about 25 minutes later, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "after being alerted by Pittsburgh authorities about a possible pedestrian fatality involving the train." This activity is extremely dangerous, and illegal, leading to jail time or a hefty fine in some states. According to the MTA, in NYC, violators could be forced to pay a $100 fine for both fare evasion and interference with movement.

Lindsey's school made a statement on behalf of the tragedy via the publication which said, “The Carlow University community extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Carlow junior Lindsey Michaels, who died last night in a tragic accident on the South Side. We mourn her loss. Information about a memorial service on campus will be forthcoming. Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones. Please keep them in your prayers during this very difficult time.” Her Facebook page states that before attending Carlow, Lindsey cheered at Keystone Oaks High School.

“She always just lived in the moment and she always wanted to have fun. I don’t think they expected anything like that to ever happen, you know?" her longtime friend Lexy Mercurie told WTAE.

Rest in peace, Lindsey. Our thoughts are with her loved ones in the wake of this tragedy.