GRANITE CITY, Ill. — Serenity McMillan's life has changed forever.
The 13-year-old was hit by a train in Granite City almost a week ago. She's an eighth grader and cheerleader at Coolidge Junior High School.
In the tragedy, she lost both of her legs.
Granite City Police Department officers said she was walking and trying to cross the train tracks near the 2900 block of Missouri Avenue on April 5. She reportedly attempted to cross the tracks on railroad property, rather than on the roadway.
First responders found her with life-threatening injuries and immediately began rendering aid. She was taken to an area hospital.
Deven Chavours' daughter is friends with Serenity.
"Serenity is a sweet bubbly little girl," Chavours told 5 On Your Side. "When Gabby found out Serenity was in a tragic accident, she said mommy I can't believe something like this happened to my friend ... Thank God she is still with us because that could've went a different direction and I tried to give Gabby hope."
Mayor Michael Parkinson applauded the first responders at the scene.
"They did a magnificent job that night to save that young girl's life," Parkinson said. "I'm not sure if she'd be here without them as well."
He's also proud of his community.
"This is what Granite City is, we have a community that steps up every time there is a tragedy like this," he said.
Nearly $10,000 have been raised on a GoFundMe created by Serenity's mom, Misty. She wrote the following statement:
Hello, my name is Misty and I’m fundraising to help raise funds for Serenity and her family in this time of need. I am her mother. She has been involved in a terrible accident and lost both legs. She has a long road of healing and recovery ahead of her but she is so strong. Every little bit will help. I want to say thank you to everyone from the bottom of my heart. It’s really hard to reach out when help is needed but I want to teach my daughter that it’s ok to ask for help. I know she will make it through this stronger than she was before.
Nick's Bar and Grill, a restaurant in Granite City, is also raising funds next week.
"Right before we sat down, my street department called wanting to do a fundraiser and raise money for this girl," Parkinson said.
"I plan to run a campaign with my business to help things overall," Chavours said. She's already donated to the meal train, but wanted to help even more.
They only hope their love and support can uplift her in the days to come.
"There is a lot of tragedy in this, we'll come together as a community and we'll get this family through it and this girl will be a part of us forever," Parkinson said.
Police consider the incident as a pending case that is still under investigation.
The Federal Railroad Administration, or the FRA, said it was not investigating this incident as it did not meet its criteria.
"Norfolk Southern Railway is required to submit a report documenting their version of the events under FRA’s Accident/Incident Reporting regulations (49 CFR Part 225)," an FRA spokesperson said. "This report is due within 30 days after the month in which they occur, and it will be posted to FRA’s Safety Data & Reporting website three months later."
For further background on FRA’s accident investigation process, including an overview of its criteria for launching a formal investigation, you can view its Accident Data, Reporting, and Investigations webpage as well as its Accident Investigation Fact Sheet
The Granite City Community Unit School District #9 shared this statement:
“The entire Granite City Community Unit School District #9 is keeping Serenity in our thoughts and prayers as she recovers from a recent accident. We understand this is a difficult time for the family, and we ask that the community respect their privacy. The school district is continuing to provide support to the family and students and will continue to monitor the situation.”
If you'd like to donate to the GoFundMe, click here.
If you'd like to donate to the meal train, click here.
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