A NYC woman's leg was severed by a train when she fell into the gap. What she did next saved her life.
NEW YORK -- A Queens woman has a harrowing story of survival after her leg was severed in an accident while trying to board a train.
Lisa Fitzgerald's life changed forever as she headed back to New York City after visiting family in New Jersey.
Fitzgerald tried to board a train at the Morristown station on May 4. She tripped and fell into the gap between the train and platform.
"My leg got cut off immediately once I went down," said Fitzgerald, 30. "It's kind of a blur that happened really quickly."
The train spun her around and she landed on the tracks where another train was coming.
"I rolled to the side of the platform and flattened myself against the platform," she said. "I pulled myself over and threw myself over the platform edge."
Help didn't come right away
Once safely back on the platform, Fitzgerald screamed as loud as she could for help. There were other people close by, but no one came to her aid at that moment, she said.
Eventually, an NJ Transit worker flagged down a police officer, who called for back up.
"Those first few police officers on the scene, oh my gosh ... they were amazing," said Fitzgerald.
After spending nearly a month in the hospital, Fitzgerald's determination is stronger than ever.
"I'm not going to stop doing anything that I love doing," she said. "Bad things are going to happen. Negative things are going to happen. The only thing you can do is look forward each day."
A GoFundMe has been established to help pay for Fitzgerald's care.
