What a terrible story: A 37 year old woman, Amanda Moore, was pronounced dead late last night after her driver tried to beat a Trinity Railway Express last week by driving around the train’s barrier. She had been hospitalized at John Peter Smith since the horrible crash.
The other two occupants of the small sedan are still seriously injured.
The car-train wreck happened in Richland Hills at the Fort Worth border on Carson Street.
According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, eyewitnesses have said that the car’s driver was clearly trying to beat the train.
What could have been his or her big rush?
Fortunately none of the 67 passengers on the train were hurt.
The Federal Railroad Administration keeps record of the number of incidents that occur in the railroad industry; this includes illnesses, injuries, and even deaths to railroad workers and train passengers. From January to September in 2010, there were more than 8,400 total train incidents, of which, more than 550 were fatal.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, in a collision with a train, you are 40 times more likely to be killed than if you were in a collision with another car.
As a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer for over 33 years, I have seen far too much destruction caused by stupid driving like this.
I urge you to remember these tips while driving near railroad crossings:
•Slow down when you are nearing crossings;
•Listen for a train (I know this seems obvious, but turn down your music);
•Stop if lights are the crossing barriers are lowering or the lights are blinking. Do not try to beat the train! Remember, a train that is going 50 miles per hour needs a mile and a half to stop.
Texas law requires motorists to yield the right of way to trains. It is also against the law to cross tracks if a train is visible or to drive around gates that have been lowered at a railroad crossing. If the gates are down and no train is coming, the road is closed.