Scott Satchfield / Eyewitness News
NEW ORLEANS -- In the last 24 hours there have been three train accidents in Louisiana. They’ve left two people dead and raised concern about railroad safety.
Deputies continued their investigation into a deadly train collision in Jefferson Parish overnight. Witnesses say 41-year-old Lisa Kosche may tried to roll around a railroad crossing arm when an Amtrak passenger train slammed into her Toyota Camry. Kosche was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the same crossing on Thursday, drivers talked about the risk of trying to beat a train.
“I’ve seen a lot of them go around, positively,” said one driver near where the accident took place. “Taking their life in their own hands.”
The Jefferson Parish accident was one of three across the state Wednesday. In the morning, another Amtrak train collided with an 18-wheeler in Slidell, although there were no major injuries reported. Late Wednesday night, a woman was hit and killed by a train in Calcasieu Parish as she walked along a set of tracks.
Railroad safety advocates say far too often people underestimate the dangers of oncoming trains.
“Because of the size of the train, you really don’t have a perception of how fast that train is coming,” said Pat Edwards, executive director of Operation Lifesaver. “It’s just always sad to have a life lost or someone being seriously injured around a railroad crossing or around a track.”
But officials say it keeps happening across Louisiana, a state with one of the nation’s highest crash and casualty rates.
“It’s illegal to go around the arms when they’re down, and besides it being illegal, it’s extremely dangerous,” said Trooper Melissa Matey of Louisiana State Police Troop B. “Cars aren’t going to stand a chance against those heavy trains. Again, their stopping distance is very long, they are very heavy, and they can drag a car down the tracks at least a mile. You’re not going to survive a crash like that.
Last year Louisiana ranked fourth nationally in vehicle and train fatalities.
