The Boston Woman Who Fell in Front of Train, Sophia Hartdegen, is the Second Person in the Family to Fall in Front of a Train

Sophia Hatdegen is the Second Person in the Family to Tumble onto Tracks

Sophia Hartdegen, 26, is lucky to be alive after falling on the tracks in front of an on coming train in Boston. Hartdegen, who is originally from Westfield Ma. is a research coordinator at Partners HealthCare in Boston. She is attended Holyoke Community College and is a graduate of Simmons College.

Her family lives in Westfield Ma. on Day Avenue, a typical New England tree lined street which is close to the center of town. According to members of Sophia Hartdegen's family, she is not the first family member to fall in front of a train and lived.

Her great grandfather fell on commuter tracks in New Jersey when he was a young man. He was not as lucky as his great granddaughter; he had limited use of his arm after the fall. Sophia escaped with scrapes and bruises.

Friday, on Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority's North Station platform, technology taped on of the most fantastic close calls ever caught on camera. Sophia Hartdegen was caught on the surveillance camera as stepped on a cigarette to extinguish it and lost her balance. She tumbled into the path of the Orange Line train as it arrived at the station.

The crowd on the platform immediately went into action franticly waving at the train to stop. The very alert woman driving the train saw the crowd and stopped the train. If Sophia had fallen just a few inches up the track, there would have been a different turnout. The train stopped fractions from where she lay on the track.

Sophia Hartdegen finally spoke about the ordeal yesterday, expressing her gratitude to all that went into action to save her life.

She stated, "I cannot express how grateful I am to all the wonderful people on the platform who waved down the train and also to the train operator for acting so quickly"

She went on to say, "I am amazed so many people stepped up to help someone in trouble. The story isn't about me. The story is about the train operator and the people on the platform and I want to express my thanks again to those people." This was in an interview with Boston News.