In Houston Saturday night, two people were killed when a car collided with an Amtrak train while the driver was trying to hit a train at a train crossing, police said.
The crash occurred on Beaumont Highway and Van Hut Lane around 8pm local time when the driver of the Chrysler 300 drove around the crossbar, signaling the approach, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said. Flashing red lights to signal the arrival of the train and activated at the one-hour crossing.
In the collision with the train, the car caught fire and the driver and passengers in the car were evacuated. Police said. Police said both died at the scene.
Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said two passengers on the Amtrak train were taken to a local hospital.
Woods said there were 81 passengers on the train traveling from New Orleans to Los Angeles when it crashed, leaving the train upright on the tracks following the crash.
According to Woods and the Sheriff’s Office, Amtrak is working with the Harris County Sheriff’s Auto Crime Unit to investigate the crash.
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