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Summer Giffin, of Sandy Hook, was trying to save a boy from being hit by a train Tuesday night, May 6 but was hit herself, her family tells Daily Voice.
The tragic accident, which left one other person dead, happened around 8:18 p.m., when emergency crews were called to the CSX rail bridge near the Maryland-West Virginia border, just outside Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, as previously reported by Daily Voice.
As of press time, more than $10,000 had been raised on a GoFundMe launched by Summer's sister, Destiny.
Family members say Summer wasn’t walking on the tracks — she was trying to pull someone else to safety.
“She was saving the boy’s life,” her sister noted. “They were going to the river. He fell. My sister tried to help him but (was) taken with the train.”
Giffin, a longtime employee at The Rabbit Hole in Maryland and beloved friend to many, was known for her outgoing spirit and kindness, family members said.
She had worked at the Rabbit Hole for more than two and a half years, her sister said, known for her bright smile, loyal energy, and kind heart.
“She was a light in everyone’s world,” Destiny Giffin tells Daily Voice. “She was a happy and smiling girl. She worked hard for everything and she was a good auntie too.”
In a heartbreaking Facebook post, Destiny added:
“You were trying to save a life. I wish you were here. I’m not okay. You’re gone. It was always you and me against the world.”
Staff at Little Jack’s Corner in Brunswick also shared a public tribute to Summer, writing:
“Summer Giffin tragically lost her life when she was struck by a MARC train while attempting to rescue another friend stranded on the tracks," the post states.
"Destiny Giffin suffered the devastating loss of her sister, just months after losing her mother [Sue Starliper] and stepfather [Justin Valentine].”
“She was a hero in the long run,” Destiny wrote. “Losing her life to try and help a boy not get hit by a train.” “She has a warm welcoming hand up there with Mom and Justin. We will gratefully take anything — or just pass it along.”
"This young lady and her family have experienced a significant amount of tragedy that no one should have to go through," a friend of the family. said.
"In December, her stepfather, a veteran lost his life and her mother passed a week later in grief of his loss.
"Yesterday her younger sister tragically passed away in her attempt to save a younger gentlemen who was stuck on the train tracks crossing back from the C&O Canal."
The crash remains under investigation by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Amtrak, and other regional agencies.
No foul play is suspected.
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