I have actually seen people drive around the gate that comes down when a train approaches.
They do that all the time around here. There's usually one fatal collision a year. Indians are notorious for trying to beat a train, especially when they're all liquored up. This Indian guy who worked for my dad went to pick all the horses up at our ranch to take to the polo field, and the idiot went around the guards with 5 horses loaded into the trailer. The train took the trailer off at the hitch and threw it 500 feet into a railroad maintenance shack. Needless to say, all of the horses were killed, including my horse that I used to run the barrels in rodeos. :(
They need to prosecute this woman for contributory negligence in the death of the child.
I have actually seen people drive around the gates when a train approaches. I see it sometimes twenty times a day. Never really get used to it either. I am a locomotive engineer. Anyone here ever thinks about doing it, don't. It will take the train a minute and a half to get off the crossing whether you are on it or not. The consequences of losing the contest are brutal for the auto. And also for the mind of the engineer and conductor.
Tell everyone you love and know about some of the rarer safety tips, including:
Trains, large trucks and other large vehicles are ALWAYS moving MUCH faster than they look. Their size can fool your depth perception and sense of speed. NEVER risk outracing ANYTHING big.
"Small" floods can be VERY powerful! Moving water just 6 inches deep can knock a person over, and just 2 feet can float a car and wash it away!