Video captured by cameras at a train station shows a mother driving her four children in a mini-van was trying to race a freight train to a crossing before the vehicle was hit by two trains.
The woman\'s two daughters were killed in the Saturday morning collision, and her two sons were injured. The driver, Edie Bolanos, remained hospitalized in critical condition on Thursday, officials said.
The video shows a 1999 Mercury Villager driving rapidly through the station\'s parking lot alongside an eastbound freight train. As the mini-van turns south onto the Johnson Avenue crossing it is hit by a westbound train, then by the eastbound train.
The footage was captured by several cameras at the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District\'s Hammond station, district spokesman John Parsons said.
"It seems apparent from the video what the driver was doing," said Hammond Police Lt. Mike Jorden on Thursday. "It is still a tragedy, and we hope others can learn from this."
Crystal Bolanos, 11, and Anahi Bolanos, 8, of the 200 block of Hanover Street in Hammond, were ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
Their mother was flown to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where she remained in critical condition on Thursday, officials said.
Her two sons were treated at the University of Chicago\'s Comer Children\'s Hospital and released on Wednesday.
Both freights were operated by CSX Corp. of Florida, and the crash took place on the CSX rail line, not far from the South Shore Line station.
"Our hearts go out to communities impacted by this," CSX spokesman Garrick Francis said. "We also want to emphasize to people the importance of safety around railroad tracks. It is particularly tragic because this could have been avoided."
Norma Bazan, the owner of a day-care center in East Chicago, said she has cared for the family\'s children for nine years. She and other family friends are collecting donations from the public to pay for the girls\' funeral services because the family cannot afford them, she said.
She asked that donations be made in the girls\' names at Centier Bank in Hammond.
Edie Bolanos works in the assembly line at a window company. Bazan said she is a good mother who often took her children to water parks and the zoo.
"It was a tragic accident," Bazan said. "She was a very loving mother."
The two girls were good-spirited and well-behaved children, she said.
"Anahi had this beautiful smile and would always giggle," she said. "Crystal was easygoing. They were happy child
video:
http://video.nbc4.com/player/?id=153415one word:
****.
some people should not be allowed to reproduce.
At first I thought this award was going to be bestowed upon a member of The Breakfast community. :duck:
some people should not be allowed to reproduce.
Yeah, too many it seems these days.
At first I thought this award was going to be bestowed upon a member of The Breakfast community. :duck:
somebody had to say it. :lol:
i think you mean DCF.
.info really needs a "Dials DCF" smiley.
whats dcf? i thought this was gonna be about britney spears. this is some tragic stuff, maybe the mom was high on meth.
DCF = Department of Children and Families
At first I thought this award was going to be bestowed upon a member of The Breakfast community. :duck:
somebody had to say it. :lol:
SNAP!!! [MAD]DIAL D.C.F.[/MAD]
They were happy child
Terrible. People should need to get a license to reproduce.
Terrible. People should need to get a license to reproduce.
i understand what you are saying....but....people have to get a license to drive a vehicle, and they still run into each other. if your vehicle has only two wheels or more than four, you need a different license. you need a license to get married. i know cause i had to get one....and you can see how well that worked out. i went to a plane crash the other day and....guess what the pilot had....yep...a pilots license. people are required to license their pets yet the shelters are always full. i\'m thinking that getting the government involved in the reproduction of the species with licensing might be a bad idea. even though it seems like our government has a license to steal based on all licensing fees.
Oh come on Duane. I was kidding. Exaggerating to make a point. You should know me better than that!
I am a libertarian for
****\'s sake. I want as little government involved in my business as possible.
i know joc....just poking fun hoping to get a laugh.
Oh. I should have known YOU better than that!
we all know how anti-libertarian you are jocelyn, all you ever talk about is big government, more taxes and less individual freedoms. This is right in line with your normal rhetoric.