A Boston subway driver is being hailed as a hero after she brought her train to a screeching halt to avoid hitting a woman who had fallen onto the tracks.
But in an interview with CBC News Monday, Charice Lewis shrugged off the praise, saying she was just doing her job.
The drama unfolded Friday night when she got a radio call from fellow Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority employee Jacqueline Osorio, who was standing on the platform at North Station and saw a woman tumble.
Other passengers on the platform who waved frantically to Lewis also helped alert her to pull the emergency brake, she said.
"I hit the brake and the train happened to stop just in time. Those people on the platform, they helped out a lot by doing all that extra waving."
Lewis did not immediately know that the woman was unhurt.
"No, I did not because my train, it did roll over her and I was just expecting the worst. I thought I killed her. I thought she was going to be missing some limbs," Lewis said.
"So to see her crawl from under there and nothing was wrong, I was just like, thank God. I was like, oh my God, she is so lucky."
The name of the woman who fell was not made public. She suffered some scrapes and was taken to a hospital for evaluation. She told authorities she had been drinking.
Lewis and Osorio were recognized by state Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan on Monday and received a call of congratulations from Gov. Deval Patrick.
Lewis had this advice for people taking the subway: "Next time, please be more careful [and] stay away from the yellow line."
With files from The Associated Press
