Three escape injury in collision of car and train

A family fishing trip almost ended in tragedy Tuesday.
A westbound van and a southbound freight train collided at 11:15 a.m. on Route B near the BASF chemical plant five miles east of Palmyra.
The van’s driver, 24-year-old Randy D. McReynolds of Hannibal, and his two-year-old son, Zakariya, and four-year-old girl, Savanna, escaped their badly-crumpled vehicle uninjured.
Both kids were properly secured in car seats, investigators said.
McReynolds told authorities he and the children were on their way home from a fishing trip and that he was talking on a cellphone when the accident happened. He said he normally looks both ways at railroad crossings.
Sgt. Greg Leftwich of the Missouri Highway Patrol said the three were fortunate.
“We’re lucky there were no injuries,” Leftwich said. “It could have been really bad.”
Flashing lights and sounding bells at the lightly-used crossing were working, but the intersection does not have retractable crossing gates.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe train engineer, Dennis Mock, told authorities he was sounding the engine’s whistle and that the 1993 Mercury van never slowed. Investigators found no skid marks.
“Everyone is thankful there were no injuries,” said railroad spokesman Steve Forsberg.
The train was uncoupled so that a wrecker could remove the smashed van, which came to rest at the edge of the road near a steep ditch.
Forsberg said none of the coal in the train’s 136 cars spilled and there was no track or signal damage. The St. Louis-bound freight got under way 90 minutes after the accident.
An inspection was planned, but Forsberg expected freight car damage to be minor.
Leftwich and Forsberg reiterated the importance of staying focused while driving.
“Anything that distracts your attention from driving can end up causing accidents,” Leftwich said.
“It’s a lesson for us all,” Forsberg said. “The lesson is driving is a full-time job.”
The Palmyra Fire Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Department and Marion County Ambulance assisted at the scene.
Court records showed that McReynolds had three tickets, two for speeding and one for failure to display plates, in 2006 and paid fines totaling $160.50.
The Highway Patrol said McReynolds was cited for failure to yield, failure to register and no proof of insurance as a result of Tuesday’s accident.