Two women narrowly escaped death after being run over by a 14,000-ton coal train outside Bloomington, Indiana.
As the train approaches, they attempt to outrun it, but one of them trips on the tracks. They both then lie down as the train passes over the top of them.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Eric Powell, an Indiana Railroad spokesman, told the Daily Mail that the driver had applied the emergency brakes, but the train did not stop until after it had cleared the bridge.
Luckily, it had ten inches of clearance and the driver, who expected to find the women dead, was shocked to see them stand up and run away – with one shouting back that she had stubbed her toe.
They fled the scene in a car, but the railroad company has the licence plate number and plans to press charges against them for trespassing on private property.
Powell said the train was carrying 100 coal cars and travelling at around 24mph, so took about half a mile to stop.
"If they had been obese, they would have died," he said. "It would have ended very differently".
-
‘The West needs people’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Filing statuses: What they are and how to choose one for your taxesThe Explainer Your status will determine how much you pay, plus the tax credits and deductions you can claim
-
Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency – an ‘engrossing’ exhibitionThe Week Recommends All 126 images from the American photographer’s ‘influential’ photobook have come to the UK for the first time
