Sigma Kappa Injured in a Traffic Wreck involving a Train

[_Lisa_]

Lexington Herald Leader Article

Car hits train; driver hurt
POLICE SAY WITNESS SAW WOMAN TALKING ON CELL PHONE BEFORE ACCIDENT

A woman was seriously injured yesterday afternoon when her vehicle was hit by a train in north Lexington. She might have been distracted by her cell phone, police said.

Anna Fraley was westbound on Spurr Road, between Georgetown Road and the Kearney Hill Golf Course, about 2:45 p.m. when she drove into the train's path, police Lt. J.J. Lombardi said yesterday.

"She failed to stop," Lombardi said. "A witness said she disregarded the warning lights and was talking on her cell phone as she proceeded to cross the tracks."

There are no crossing arms at the tracks, but the flashing warning lights and sounds were working, authorities said yesterday.

Fraley's vehicle, a four-door sedan, was thrown about 200 feet from the railroad track and landed upside down. Lombardi said the sedan was probably an older model Chevrolet Prizm.

Spurr Road was closed for about three hours while authorities investigated and cleaned up the scene.

Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to free Fraley from the wreckage yesterday, Fire Chief Bob Hendricks said. She was wearing a seatbelt.

Lombardi said Fraley suffered an open-skull fracture.

She was taken by ambulance to University of Kentucky Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition last night, hospital officials said.

Lexington police and railroad officials are investigating the accident.

Yesterday, Hendricks urged all citizens to be cautious when crossing train tracks.

"I think all of us take railroad crossings for granted because of the percentage of time we cross and don't see anything," he said. "The sheer mass of the train makes most of these types of collisions very serious accidents. I don't know the exact statistics, but I would say it's a very low number that survive."

Anna is a 2004 initiate of the Alpha Chi chapter of Sigma Kappa in Georgetown, KY. Please keep her in your thoughts.