Yesterday, a 19 year old idiot with a suspended drivers license tried to beat an Amtrak train, and lost big. His Ford Fusion was struck in the side as he tried to race through the crossing. The barriers were down, and the lights were flashing, and the train was moving at around 60mph. He had 4 others in the car with him, ranging from 14 to 21. Apparently dissatisfied with waiting for the train to come, he raced around a waiting car through the opposing lane, and didn't even slow down to check the crossing. His timing was perfect and lethal.
This photo shows what is left of the Fusion. This is the whole car--it was smashed nearly flat from the side. I can only imagine what a mess it was for the fire and police departments to clean up.
This video was recorded from the security camera of a nearby business.
One of the wise-guys at AR15.com made this, in response to a Facebook memorial page:
It's mean, but I agree with the sentiment. Dan deserves a nomination for the Darwin award for 2009.