A 79-year-old Massachusetts woman killed by an Amtrak train
Monday reportedly saved her granddaughterAs life by shoving her
out of the way of the speeding train as it rushed toward them.

Hilda Figueroa and her granddaughter, Hilda Sanchez, 26, were on
their way home from shopping in Springfield when they crossed
the tracks at an unauthorized point and the train came bearing
down on them, MassLive reported.

oThere was no whistle, no horn,o Sanchez, who was named for her
grandmother, told the news outlet. oIt was just too fast and she
pushed me out of the way.o

Sanchez walked away with only a bruised hand, but her
grandmother, who was sent flying more than 50 feet when the
train struck her, died of the resulting injuries as an ambulance
rushed her to a hospital, the outlet reported.


masslivenews
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@masslivenews
A woman killed by an Amtrak train in Springfield pushed her
granddaughter out of the way before being struck.
https://trib.al/mCanhJm

1
3:30 PM - Mar 27, 2019
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Family says woman killed by Amtrak train in Springfield pushed
her granddaughter out of the way...
Hilda Figueroa, 79, sacrificed herself to save her granddaughter
from the speeding Amtrak train Monday afternoon.

masslive.com
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No one aboard the train was injured, WWLP-TV of Springfield
reported.

The exact speed of the train has yet to be determined, although
an Amtrak spokeswoman told MassLive that the speed limit for
that section is 50 mph. She also noted that Amtrak considers
those who use that particular crossing to be trespassing.

oRailroad property is private property,o Amtrak spokeswoman Beth
K. Toll said. oIf you are on railroad tracks or railroad
property without the expressed permission of the railroad
property owner, you are trespassing.o

But Sanchez said many others in the neighborhood use that
crossing, including schoolchildren, because itAs othe shortest
way.o She also pointed out that a crossing guard is stationed
nearby.

The city had planned to address the safety risk the dangerous
crossing poses by building a $6.3 million pedestrian tunnel
under the tracks, MassLive reported. Construction for the tunnel
was set to begin shortly, after years of discussion, near the
spot where Figueroa was struck and killed.

FigueroaAs daughter, Maria Nieves, told MassLive about the final
moment she shared with her mother after witnessing the train
strike her.

oMy mother smiled at me and then closed her eyes,o she said.

Figueroa called Springfield home for 30 years, and was a beloved
member of the community, Sanchez said.

Only stupid and dead people have disagreements with trains.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/woman-killed-by-amtrak-train- reportedly-pushed-granddaughter-to-safety-before-being-struck

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