Officials from the Petal Police Department have made available to media a surveillance video showing that the recent collision between a car and a train at the intersection of U.S. 11 and Chappell Hill Road in Petal was caused by the driver of the car attempting to circumvent the railroad track’s crossguards, which were active and deployed at the time of the incident.
The one-minute-long video, which was submitted to police by a nearby business, shows the crossguards lowering at 11:48 a.m. A few seconds later, the woman’s car can be seen traveling north on U.S. 11 before making a right-hand turn on Chappell Hill Road, where she attempted to drive around the west-bound guard, causing the collision. Thirteen seconds after the collision, the crossguards were raised, at which point the train had stopped approximately 100 yards north of the collision, according to an officer with the Petal Police Department.
The incident occurred on October 30 at the aforementioned location. Matthew Hiatt, chief of the Petal Police Department, said the woman’s car was destroyed and she was taken to a local hospital, where she is expected to fully recover from the injuries sustained in the wreck.
“She’s going to be okay; there were no life-threatening injuries,” Hiatt said shortly after the incident. “She’s an extremely lucky individual.
“Usually when you’ve got a vehicle versus train, the train usually wins. But she’s going to be okay; she’s going make a full recovery.”
Petal Police Department was assisted at the scene by the Petal Fire Department and AAA Ambulance.
