A teenage girl reportedly listening to her iPod survived getting clipped by a freight train in Ohio.
According to police reports, 16-year-old Isatu Kanu was late to school on Friday morning, making her way from home to Olentangy Orange High School at about 10:30 am. She had the hood of her coat up and headphones in, they say.
Police report that train engineers saw the teen and sounded the horn to warn her of the train’s approach. They say she did not appear to react.
The 10th grader was clipped by the train and flung into gravel. Police and paramedics found Kanu with a gash on her leg but still conscious and able to talk. She also complained of neck and back pain, Highway Patrol Sgt. D.J. Smith told the Columbus Dispatch.
Flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital, she’s reportedly in stable condition and expected to make a complete recovery.
Police have not decided yet whether to charge her with trespassing on rail road property to discourage other teens from taking the shortcut. Another 16-year-old died about a year ago on those same tracks while wearing headphones.
The teen was very lucky – we’ve written a few times before about people getting killed because they are so plugged into their iPods they can’t hear anything.
In addition to keeping an eye on the volume or wearing one earbud, there are also apps like Volumatic which say they can prevent accidents from not being able to hear your surroundings by adjusting to the volume levels around you.
What’s your strategy?
Sources: Columbus Dispatch, AP
