Car Struck By NJ Transit Train In Camden County
By Elizabeth Hur
BERLIN, N.J. (CBS) -- A wrong turn led to near disaster – a woman ended up on the train tracks and escaped just in time.
It happened near Route 73 and Washington Avenue in Berlin, Camden County Tuesday evening.
Dustin Smith says when he heard screams outside his window he didn't know what had happened.
"So I look out the window, right as I look out the blinds of my window, just in time to see the train actually hit the car," Smith explained.
What Smith saw is a train heading southbound from Philadelphia to Atlantic City coming to a crashing halt after hitting a car stuck on the train tracks. Authorities say the driver was not in the car at the time of the impact and actually had to be urged by an eyewitness to run for safety.
"From what he said, she was standing on the railroad tracks, holding her arms up, trying to stop the train -- the train's not going to stop," Smith said.
Sources say the woman was lost and turned left onto the train tracks thinking it was a road. If that's the case, this is the second time in less than a week that's happened in our area. Last Thursday, it happened in Newark, Delaware. Fortunately, the driver and her passenger in that case also escaped unharmed.
According to authorities, two people on the train were treated for minor back and neck injuries.
The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation.
