Two children dead after freight train strikes car in crossing, Indiana cops say

Two children and a woman died when a freight train struck their vehicle while it was in a railroad crossing, Indiana cops say, according to media reports.

The crash happened around 7:30 a.m. Nov. 16 in Gary, a northwest Indiana town about 30 miles from Chicago. The driver and two passengers died at the scene, the Northwest Indiana Times reported.

Witnesses told media outlets the driver was attempting to beat the CSX train at the crossing before the train crashed into it.

“Silver car tried to beat the train,” witness Melvin Brown told WLS. “It went around the barrier and instantly they were hit by the train. It’s gonna be stuck in my mind for a long time.”

The driver was identified as 37-year-old Shermika Herbert, according to WBBM. Deyki Mitchell, 13, and Deniya Brown, 11, also died in the crash, the TV station reported.

Deyki and Deniya are the son and daughter of Herbert, WBBM reported.

“We are all saddened when we lose any of our friends and neighbors, but it’s especially painful when we lose multiple members of a family, including young ones,” Gary Mayor Jerome Prince said in a statement to WMAQ.

Jack Hamady, the Gary police commander, told WLS the crash was “100% avoidable.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 6:09 AM with the headline "Two children dead after freight train strikes car in crossing, Indiana cops say."