Parents Help Warn Of Dangers Of Train Tracks For Distracted Teenagers
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Northern California parents came together to help prevent train tragedies, like the hundreds of deaths and injuries that happened last year in California.
Dena Betti knows all too well the dangers of trains. Her beautiful 14-year-old daughter Jenna, an eighth-grader, was struck and killed by a train in March in Martinez. The tragedy unfolded when the teen left her cellphone on the tracks.
"She cleared the train tracks but remembered she left her cell phone," Betti said.
As the train approached, she ran back to get it.
"It happened so quickly she couldn't react in the way one need to react to be safe," Betti said.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Amtrak says distracted teens holding gadgets cause concern, especially near railroad tracks. Even though it's only been six months since Dena lost her little girl, she hopes her family's tragedy will save the lives of other children.
"It just felt like the right thing to do and it just seems like the proper timing," she said.
More than 600 people were either killed or injured by trains last year.
