Woman Killed in Byhalia Train Accident

There needs to be gaurd rails at that crossing as well as flashing lights to let people know that a train is approaching. To many lives have been lost at that same location. When will something be done to prevent another tragedy like this one from happening again. We so often blame the victim. because we say they were trying to beat the train. Not this time she was only trying to see. At this particular crossing there is a lot of trees and bushes obstructing your view. Someone need to be held accountable for not keeping that area clear and also not having the proper signals and rails in place

" RIP LINAH YOUNG "

Linah was a great friend of mine. We went to school together at Byhalia High. This is a great tragedy to the community. Linah was a great person who loved dearly. She could care less what you look like or dress like, all she saw was what is on the inside.
RIP Linah We love you.

First, in response to the post by Vanessa Liggins:

> We so often blame the victim <

It might sound cold, but the simple fact is that trains have the right of way. While unfortunate and sad, someone who drives into the path of an oncoming train is not exactly an innocent victim. He or she made the decision to ignore the flashing lights, go around the gates, or simply fail to stop and look each direction (at crossings without flashers or gates). Again, that doesn't mean it's not unfortunate and sad. On the other hand, the almost never mentioned victims are the train crew, which I will discuss later.

> ...because we say they were trying to beat the train. Not this time she was only trying to see. <
There are two tracks at this crossing: a main with a maximum speed of 60 mph for freight trains, and a siding, which is 20 mph. If she was only "trying to see," she would not have moved her car so that it was in the foul of the right-of-way.

> Someone need to be held accountable for not keeping that area clear and also not having the proper signals and rails in place <
There is no law that requires the installation flashers and gates. While the railroad handles installation & maintenance of said warning devices, the city & state decide on which crossings are to have flashers and/or gates installed.

I must admit it is interesting that everyone always expresses profound sympathy for the deceased in cases such as this, where a car drives into the path of an oncoming train, yet no one ever utters the first word about the train crew. The two, sometimes three, person crew are just as much victims as anyone else. Some people would scoff at that statement, however, once you have spoken face-to-face with a train crew after they have just hit a car, and listen to them describe the helpless feeling of watching as the driver drove into the path of their train, or speak with the conductor who has the grissly task of walking back to whatever is left of the vehicle & its occupants to check for survivors/injuries, etc. Worse still are the cases in which there are passengers in the car, especially children. There have been countless instances that I recall in which the train crew was off for extended periods of time - sometimes upwards of a month - due to the lingering effects of having struck a vehicle at a grade crossing, despite the reality that there was nothing said crew could do.
It might sound like droning mantra from a broken record to some people, but the slogan "Stop, Look, Listen, Live" isn't just a cute little catch phrase.
A 7,000' train operating at 50 mph will take less than two minutes to pass. Is it really worth risking your life for two minutes?