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Two women were killed, and three children were injured, after a minivan was hit by a freight train in Alabama
Carolyn Elaine Berry and Aldereka Laqulla Ikes seem to have driven around a railroad crossing arm before being hit, according to the Jefferson County Coroner's Office
Following her death, one of Berry's five children described her late mother as the "life of the party"
Two women were killed, and three children were injured, after a minivan was hit by a freight train in Alabama.
On Friday, Jan. 16, Carolyn Elaine Berry and Aldereka Laqulla Ikes were driving in Birmingham when a freight train struck their vehicle with four children inside, according to local outletsWBRC,WIATandWVTM.
Berry, 47, and Ikes, 36, seem to have driven around a railroad crossing arm around 1:46 a.m. local time when their vehicle was struck by a freight train, according to the Jefferson County Coroner's Office.
While Berry — a mom of five — was pronounced dead at the scene, per NBC affiliate WVTM, Birmingham Fire and Rescue confirmed that Ikes was taken to UAB Hospital, where she was then pronounced dead.
Lt. Catina Williams with the Birmingham Fire Department told CBS affiliate WIAT that three of the four children in the minivan were taken to Children's of Alabama Hospital with injuries and are expected to recover.
Birmingham police also said, per the outlet, that a witness pulled the children out of the minivan before first responders arrived at the scene.
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Following the women's deaths, one of Berry's daughters, Malika Kater, told WIAT that her mother, whom she described as the "life of the party," was in the passenger seat when the train hit the vehicle. She also noted that none of the children in the minivan were hers.
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While the Birmingham Police Department continues to investigate what led to the fatal crash, Jennifer DeAngelis, a spokesperson for the national rail safety nonprofit Operation Lifesaver, Inc., said that video footage shot by a drone on the day of the incident can speak to how quickly trains tend to be moving when approaching a crossing.
"They are moving, oftentimes, much, much faster than we think they are," she explained to WIAT. "Trains can appear to be standing still when in fact they are moving very quickly."
"A freight train traveling 55 miles an hour can take a mile or more to stop — that's like 18 football fields," she added. "If the gates are down, or the lights are flashing, a train is coming, and you want to make that safe choice every time."
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