2 die in crash in Murray County

Sunday, December 4, 2011

2 die in crash in Murray County

Two people died in Murray County, Ga., Saturday morning after two cars crashed on U.S. Highway 411 North, authorities said.

Murray County emergency dispatchers received the first call at 8:10 a.m., and Georgia State Patrol troopers responded shortly after.

The accident happened near Petty Park. Dispatchers with Murray County and the Georgia State Patrol said they didn't have any information about what caused the crash, and the victims' names were not released Saturday night.

Train hits car; driver unhurt

A woman abandoned her car on railroad tracks before the vehicle was struck by a train Saturday afternoon at Jersey Pike, Chattanooga police said.

According to a news release, the woman told police she had been waiting for a train to pass about 3:30 p.m. and that when the traffic arm lifted, she drove onto the tracks behind two other vehicles. She said she saw another train coming but the traffic arm went down behind her, preventing her from backing up. The release didn't explain why the woman couldn't drive forward off the tracks.

She told police she panicked and abandoned the car before the train hit it.

Officials are investigating to see if the traffic arm malfunctioned or if the crash was the result of driver error. No charges have been filed, according to the release.