Train hits car parked too close to tracks

By Richard Gould | Hickory Daily Record

Published: November 12, 2009

Hickory - When Maiden resident Brittany Reinhardt arrived at the Hickory District Courthouse on Thursday morning, she parked a little too close to the railroad tracks.

A Norfolk Southern train headed westbound clipped her car about 1:30 p.m.

"It just caught the tail light section and pulled it right off," said Capt. Gary Lee of the Hickory Police Department.

Reinhardt, 21, was in town to appear in court on charges of speeding and driving while license revoked.

The impact caused $1,000 in damage to the car, which is owned by Davashia Demar Woods of Maiden.

Lee said it's common for people to park in the gravel near the tracks, but this is the first time he's heard of a train hitting a parked car in Hickory in his 23 years with the department.

The area where Reinhardt was parked belongs to Norfolk Southern. She was charged with trespassing on railroad property for parking there, he said. There is no line of demarcation between the parking lot and the railroad's property. It is not marked or fenced off.

"People should park on the pavement, not the gravel," Lee said.

Reinhardt is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 19 on her most recent charges.