Stranded Driver Pulled From Delaware Railroad Tracks By Good Samaritans
By Liz Hur
NEWARK, Del. (CBS) – Eyewitness News spoke exclusively to the driver and passenger of a car stuck on the tracks and crushed by a train.
The collision happened at West Main Street and New London Road in Newark, Delaware early Thursday morning.
Both Christina Johnson and her cousin, Monique Dyton, jumped out of the way just in time, but their lives quite literally flashed before their eyes when their car got stuck on the railroad tracks.
The two finally ran for safety with about five seconds to spare.
Police say the oncoming train struck the car and pushed it several hundred feet before the car finally got thrown off the tracks.
Monique told Eyewitness News, off camera, she is grateful to be alive.
Christina talked to us on the phone and said, "It was really scary. I saw the train, I saw the lights and I see her in the car."
Christina says Monique was driving and because she was not familiar with the area, she turned left onto the train tracks thinking it was a road. It was dark and when Eyewitness News checked, there were no warning signs to deter drivers from making that mistake.
"When the car got stuck, I got out of the car and I thought I could probably push it because I looked under the car and there was nothing blocking it," Christina explained.
Surveillance video from a nearby business then showed two passers-by trying to help push the car to no avail.
Christina added, "Then all of a sudden, I see the train lights and my cousin is still in the car so I'm like get out of the car, get out of the car!"
Christina's mother, Angela Taylor, said, "I'm grateful to God first of all that he had his angels protecting them."
As of Thursday night, police say the exact number of accidents at the intersection is not yet available. However, one neighbor told Eyewitness News, in his 10 years in the area, he estimates he counted about 20 similar accidents at the same spot and several of them were caught on tape.
"I'm just really hoping it doesn't happen again ever, to anybody," Christina said.
Taylor added, "Something definitely needs to be done before someone does get killed and again, it could have been my babies today."
According to Newark police, the owner of the train, CSX Transportation Company, is in charge of the design of that intersection. When asked if there were any plans to address this issue, company officials told Eyewitness News, they plan to meet with local officials to discuss this matter in the near future.
