Woman's rescue from train in Greer becomes sensation

Officer had to coax driver out of her car

Published: Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 6:55 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 6:56 a.m.

GREER - Seemingly disoriented and unaware of the danger speeding in her direction at 72 mph, a woman was rescued by a police officer moments before an Amtrak train carrying 180 passengers collided with her car Tuesday.

The police car's dashboard camera documented the entire event, including the tearful gratitude of 53-year-old Betsy Leigh Devall to Sgt. Marcus O'Shields, who had to coax her from the vehicle shortly before the accident.

Devall, of 201 Pamela Drive, Williamston, told the officer that she just wasn't familiar with the area.

DeVall said she was on her way to a friend's house to stay overnight. She said she doesn't see well at night and thought she was pulling onto a side road to "get out of the way of traffic" before calling her friend, when she ended up on the railroad crossing at E. Poinsett Street and Highway 80. Her four-door Nissan somehow got stuck on the tracks, said police spokesman Cris Varner.

When she realized she'd actually turned onto train tracks, she tried to drive away.

"I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I've got to get off,' but the wheels were spinning," she said. "I'm terrified of train tracks."

Devall also told police that she had a difficult time seeing at night.

Greer Police Sgt. Marcus O'Shields said he was parked nearby when he saw DeVall turn onto the tracks early Tuesday. Another officer told O'Shields by radio that a train was coming, but DeVall could not move the car.

"About the same time is when I heard the train coming and I started to coaxing the driver and telling her we need to get out of the vehicle, we need to get off these tracks," O'Shields told CNN Wednesday. "At first, I don't think she realized what type of danger she was actually in until the train actually struck her vehicle."

It just so happened that O'Shields was on patrol and had pulled off the road to make a cell-phone call when he saw her car.

O'Shields prompted the woman to get out of the car in what sounded like a calm voice, but Varner said the officer was actually alarmed.

"That's his excited voice," Varner said. "Marcus is an extremely calm officer, but he was definitely excited at the time."

DeVall was removed from the vehicle a few seconds before the guard arms dropped, signaling an oncoming train. Seconds later, the train sped by, catapulting the vehicle more than a half a mile from the crossing.

Varner guesses that the woman didn't see the train coming because it was traveling around a curve at such a high speed.

"Amtrak runs a lot faster than your average cargo train," Varner said.

The incident report said the train engineer, Scott Lynch, saw the car's taillights on the tracks and somebody waving a flashlight. The engineer pulled the emergency brakes about 854 feet from the point of impact.

A video from a dashboard camera in O'Shields' cruiser showed DeVall's 1997 Nissan Altima bursting into flames as the train pushed it down the tracks.

"Everything in my car, my purse, my money, everything exploded," DeVall said. "If someone else had been in that car, I would have been hysterical."

Two people on the train were treated with oxygen and one person suffered an injured knee, according to Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell. The train was delayed for 5 1/2 hours, then continued its journey from New Orleans to New York City.

Amtrak is investigating the incident, as it routinely does with any of its railway accidents, Varner said.

Devall will not be facing charges, but she may have to face repeated viewings of the incident on the news and on the web, thanks to the police video.

When the officer left his vehicle to talk to the Devall, he turned on his microphone that instantly activated the camera, Varner said.

No major injuries were reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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