Mother Counts Her Blessings After Train Nearly Hits 9-Year-Old Autistic Son

GREENE COUNTY (KDKA) -- A mother is counting her blessings after her son was almost hit by a train Friday morning.

"Ever since he started running this is my worst fear," mother Amy Lasko said.

Lasko's 9-year-old son Reece pierce is safe today at his grandmother's house but gave his mother a scare Friday morning around 7:15.

"You pray for the best but fear for the worst," she said at her Greene County home.

Lasko went into another room and came back to find her son who has autism breaking out the air conditioning unit and going out the window. She tried grabbing him and chasing him outside.

"I was pretty close to him. I said Reece come here. Take mommy's hand. He took off running down through the woods," Lasko recounted.

She called 911 immediately and state police started a search down the hill from Lasko's house are the railroad tracks. A conductor saw Reece and slammed on the emergency breaks.

"When I heard that train, I didn't feel my soul leave my body. I know I would have had something terrible happened," Lasko said.

The train stopped within feet of the 9-year-old inside a tunnel near the 300 block of Prison Road. The crew took the child to police who brought the boy back home. Lasko says her son had minor scrapes from this incident.

"I wouldn't have been able to handle the fact that I couldn't keep a hold of him," she told KDKA.

According to State police, charges will not be filed. Lasko said it's time to move because her current home has caused problems for Reece and her 8-year-daughter who is also on the autism spectrum.

"Everything that is safe and legal to keep them in the house," Lasko said.