411 Firelands

This is one of those commenting threads where you learn more about the accident from the comments than the article.

I remember the morning after the accident. It seemed like the entire city knew about it. But to this day, I didn't know the circumstances. I always assumed they drove around downed gates because they were in a hurry. (Which would tend to lower the sympathy one would have for these girls.) But according to the comments under the story, there was a train stopped at the Remington crossing, and dozens of other cars were driving around the gates. Michelle and Karie Ann were the unlucky motorists who crossed when another train was approaching on the other mainline. According to the commenters, the victims' view of the other main was obstructed by the stopped train. Seems to me that this point should be explained because it's a more important facet of the story than digging up the grief these families have suffered.

But still, it was a good video. (But what's up with the 'credits' at the end?)

There's only one thing more important than the viewer understanding the grief of these families: the audience must know who created this awesome video!!

There's a public service message hidden in this story: Just because you see a stopped train doesn't mean that that's the reason the crossing gates are activated. If there are two mains, another train could be approaching and even blowing their whistle - but pedestrians and motorists might not hear it because of the stopped locomotive's engine idle. Don't drive around activated gates - no matter what - unless a railroad official or law enforcement officer waves you around the gates. That's Ohio law, by the way.