(AP) A 57-year-old woman has died after the SUV she was driving was struck by an Amtrak passenger train in Meridian, Mississippi.
Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler says the incident happened about 3 p.m. Wednesday where Hawkins Crossing Road intersects the double-tracked Norfolk Southern Railway northeast of downtown Meridian. Cobler says he’s withholding the woman’s name because all family members hadn’t been notified as of Wednesday evening.
Cobler says the woman drove around operating gates and flashers and was struck by the southbound Amtrak Crescent. Cobler says the woman’s vehicle was pushed nearly a quarter-mile, and the woman died within seconds.
Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham says there were no injuries among the 51 passengers and crew. She says the train continued its trip toward New Orleans after an hour’s delay.
