Tracks are for trains!

Late Monday night, northbound Amtrak Crescent train 20 struck an unoccupied automobile at a grade crossing in Greer, SC.  What makes this story remarkable is that the disoriented driver did not escape until the last minute, when she was coaxed out by a Greer Police Officer who happened to pass the crossing.  And it was all caught on the dash-mounted camera of the police cruiser.  Here’s the astonishing video of how the events transpired, courtesy of Greer PD, via WYFF-TV:

The driver was apparently lost—and distracted by cell phone use.  She might be a prime candidate for education by Operation Lifesaver, whose volunteers work tirelessly to fulfill the education aspect of OL’s mission of “ending tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights of way.”

Remember: Tracks are for trains!  Stay away and stay alive!

—Matthew Melzer