Press Release

RESERVE – A mock train/car accident Friday morning in Reserve had no injuries or fatalities, but it did produce lessons in planning by emergency agencies.

The event, organized through Louisiana Operation Lifesaver, coordinated the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office, Parish Coroner, Office of Emergency Preparedness, Acadian Ambulance, River Parishes Hospital, Reserve Volunteer Fire Department, St. John Parish Schools and the Kansas City Southern Railroad.

The event was filmed for production of a training video, paid for by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.

During 2002, Louisiana ranked fourth in the nation in collisons at highway-rail crossings. Many of those occurred in the Reserve area, according to records.

Sixteen people died in 2002 while trespassing on railroad tracks, and 13 more were injured During that same year, there were 149 train/vehicle crashes across the state.