I completely agree - that woman definitely did not deserve to die the way she did - she deserved to peacefully pass away in her sleep, peacefully and in no pain.

However, this woman made the CHOICE to die a horrible death. In every state in this country you are required to pass a driving test to show your knowledge of traffic laws, which includes warning signals and signs. In this case the woman made a conscious decision to ignore properly functioning flashing lights, crossing gate arms down, and navigated her car around the down gates into the path of a train. This was not a simple mistake - this was a choice.

Let me ask this - do you think the crew had to witness the carnage and death of an individual who made an admittedly wrong, and I might add LEGALLY wrong, decision? That lady, because she was in too big a hurry to wait another few minutes, not only lost her life but had a huge impact on the innocent crew members on the train who simply wanted to go home as well as any witnesses who saw the accident. This one person who made a conscious decision to ignore properly operating warning devices that adversely affected many other people, including her family, just because she was in a hurry. No, this was NOT a mistake - it was a decision!!!

As far as my mother, or father, or any other family member doing the same thing - I would certainly think they would be smart enough to know better than to ignore warning devices that are placed there to try and protect those who need that help. If people choose to ignore those devices that is their choice but to call it a simple "mistake" is ridiculous - her voluntary actions directly led to her own demise thus qualifying her as a Darwin Award candidate based on the web site's criteria.

BTW, if you haven't figured it out I have NO, as in ZERO, compassion for people who who act stupidly to get themselves killed by a train. I was an engineer for just under 43 years and was involved in more than my share of auto and pedestrian strikes / fatalities. Every one of those, as in 100%, the person made the decision themselves to pull out, or step out, in front of my train - I never once chased somebody down the street to "get" them.