A 31-year-old mother and her 8-year-old daughter were killed Saturday morning when an Amtrak passenger train struck their vehicle at a railroad crossing in south Mobile County, authorities said. Investigators said the car went around active warning signals and crossing gates shortly before the crash.
The collision, which happened as one of Amtrak’s Gulf Coast trains traveled between Mobile and New Orleans, shut down a busy section of Bellingrath Road for hours and renewed attention on safety at grade crossings in an area where higher-speed passenger service has returned in recent months. Police, fire crews and rail personnel examined the crossing equipment and the train’s movement after impact, while officials said no one aboard the train was hurt.
Mobile Police Department officials identified the driver as Brittany Williams, 31. Her daughter, 8, was also in the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The child’s name was not released by authorities. The crash occurred near the Theodore community at the Bellingrath Road crossing close to Peary Road and the Cary Hamilton Road area, where commercial traffic and commuters move through the corridor leading toward Mobile’s port and industrial sites.
Police said officers and Mobile Fire-Rescue responded at about 6:51 a.m. on Sat., Feb. 21, after reports of a vehicle-train collision at the crossing. Responders found the vehicle heavily damaged at the tracks, and investigators began documenting the scene, checking the signal equipment and interviewing witnesses, officials said. Steven Millhouse of Mobile Fire-Rescue described the call as a single vehicle struck by an Amtrak train and said crews confirmed two people in the car had died. Authorities said emergency personnel also checked rail cars and passengers after the collision.
Investigators said the crossing’s audible signal, flashing lights and gate arms were operating properly as the train approached. Police said the vehicle drove around the visible warnings before it was struck. After the impact, the train continued down the tracks before coming to a stop, according to officials. Mobile police said the train traveled about 2,100 feet after the collision before it was able to stop, a distance that underscores how difficult it can be for a passenger train to halt quickly. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew members, officials said.
Amtrak said the train involved was Train 23 traveling between Mobile and New Orleans on CSX tracks west of Mobile when it came into contact with a vehicle at about 6:44 a.m. CT. The company said it had received no reports of injuries to passengers or crew. Amtrak said the train resumed its trip after a delay of about three hours and 40 minutes. In a statement, the railroad said it was cooperating with investigators and noted that crossing incidents are a major source of rail-related deaths in the United States, affecting families, train crews and passengers.
Authorities did not immediately say whether speed, distraction, impairment or a medical issue played a role, and officials said those questions remained under review. Police also did not announce any citations or criminal charges connected to the crash, and investigators have not released a final account of the sequence of events leading up to the collision. Officials said their early findings were limited to what they observed at the scene, including the crossing equipment’s operation and the vehicle’s movement around the gates, while they continue to review evidence and other information.
The crash stalled traffic along Bellingrath Road as police vehicles blocked lanes and crews diverted drivers away from the crossing. Witnesses and workers in the area described long backups while investigators took measurements and photographed the scene. In the hours after the collision, responders coordinated with rail personnel and worked to clear the crossing, remove the damaged vehicle and reopen the roadway. By later in the morning, officials said the area had been cleared enough for rail operations to resume, even as the investigation continued.
Saturday’s collision also came amid wider local discussion about the return of passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast and the differences between passenger trains and the freight trains many residents are used to seeing. Derek Hester, who works near the Bellingrath Road crossing at McCarrol’s Auto Detailing, said he did not witness this crash but has seen close calls at nearby crossings. He said impatience can lead drivers to take risks around gate arms and warning lights. “Soon as that gate comes down, they want to go around it,” Hester said, adding that when a horn sounds, “that train is right there.”
Hester said the speed and force of a passenger train can surprise people who underestimate how quickly it reaches a crossing. He said he has seen vehicles enter the tracks during traffic backups when there is little room to move forward or back. “You’re stuck,” he said. Officials have not said whether congestion, visibility or other road conditions played a role at the time of the collision, and investigators have not released details about weather conditions that morning.
Amtrak and local officials said the train’s crew members were not injured, and police said no passengers were hurt. One report from local media put the number of passengers and crew on board at about 38, though authorities did not release an official count in their initial incident summary. Mobile Police said the investigation remains active and that additional information may be released as officials review details from the scene, including the crossing signals and the train’s movement before and after impact.
As of Tue., Feb. 24, Mobile police had not announced a timeline for completing the investigation or said whether a formal report would be issued. The agency said it is continuing to review what led up to the collision at the crossing near Theodore. The next expected milestone is the release of further investigative findings from police and rail officials as the case review continues.
Author note: Last updated February 24, 2026.