No one seriously injured in Tulsa car-train accident

An elderly woman drove her car into the path of a train Monday morning - and lived to tell about it. <br><br>News on Six reporter Emory Bryan says even at low speed - when a train hits a car broadside

Monday, September 9th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

An elderly woman drove her car into the path of a train Monday morning - and lived to tell about it.

News on Six reporter Emory Bryan says even at low speed - when a train hits a car broadside - the car doesn't stand a chance.

In this case, a nearly new Toyota took the blow - and was shoved off the tracks. The driver was going south on Sheridan. The crossing arms were down and the lights were flashing when the train came through.

The driver told police she didn't see the warnings - and drove through the gates and hit the train. Police say the 86-year-old driver told them she was listening to music so loud she didn't hear the train coming. A witness reported it was a song by Patsy Cline.

Tulsa Police Cpl Steven Wood, "when you look at her car, you can see the gates actually struck the windshield and the top of the car." The impact - on the driverâ€™s side - pushed the car out of the intersection. As the train stopped - it snagged the car several times and spun it onto an embankment.

The police were surprised the driver had only a few bruises. "Scared, but uninjured and that's a rare thing when you're dealing with trains.â€ The train was a westbound Union Pacific with 46 cars. It crosses Sheridan every day at about the same time.

As the car that crossed its path was hauled away - the train moved on - an hour behind schedule.