Two teens killed on railroad tracks were playing 'Ghost Train' game, coroner says

Two Missouri girls were playing a deadly game on a railroad track when they were killed by an Amtrak train early Tuesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The teens were playing “Ghost Train,” in which a vehicle is parked on the tracks, according to Butler County Coroner Jim Akers.

During the game, passengers let the windows fog up for a scary setting and then drive off when a train approaches, Akers said, according to the Post-Dispatch.


"They were playing a stupid game called ‘Ghost Train,’ and the object is to get scared, kind of like telling stories on Halloween," Akers said.

Akers said five teens were in a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee on the tracks as an Amtrak train approached a crossing about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday near Poplar Bluff in southeast Missouri. When the Cherokee wouldn't start, three teens were able to get out, but two panicked and couldn’t unbuckle their seatbelts. The driver returned to help but was in the vehicle when the train hit it, Akers told the Post-Dispatch.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Victoria Swanson, 15, and Haley Whitmer, 17, were killed and Kaitlyn Fowler, 15, was hospitalized in critical condition. All were from Poplar Bluff.

Akers told the Post-Dispatch that parents of the victims said the girls had played the game before.

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Jesus H. Christ! what ever happened to smoking pot and playing video games!?

  • 1 vote
Reply#349 - Wed Jun 6, 2012 7:15 PM EDT

The next great meme. Sure to catch on with idiot teens everywhere after this story.

  • 1 vote
Reply#350 - Wed Jun 6, 2012 7:24 PM EDT

And that my friend is population control, thinning the herd, natural selection whatever you want to call it, I heard no one crying over the Dodo when it went it's merry way. Stupidity is a captial offense. If this had been 10 year old kids I'd understand, these are 17 and 18 year olds, you would expect them to know better especially since they were so close or at voting age. Maybe they shouldn't vote

  • 2 votes
Reply#351 - Wed Jun 6, 2012 7:30 PM EDT

sad, now how many people are going to try this?

    Reply#352 - Wed Jun 6, 2012 8:20 PM EDT

    Only the dumb ones.

    • 1 vote
    #352.1 - Wed Jun 6, 2012 10:03 PM EDT
    Reply

    If they played this before Maybe mom&dad should have taken the car away.Tragic but Really Stupid

    • 2 votes
    Reply#353 - Wed Jun 6, 2012 9:22 PM EDT

    And the engine was turned off!

      Reply#354 - Wed Jun 6, 2012 10:01 PM EDT

      Job one, as a human, is to survive. Doing so means thinking long and hard about the risks we take. "Calculated Risk" as they say. Individually, this is often very difficult. In a group, with many voices, our popular theory now is that it takes a "village" to raise a child. Groupthink is king.

      Unless, of course, you are residents of STUPID village.

      At least they will not be breeding and further contaminating the gene pool. Kids, save your own lives. No matter what the dumbass peer group thinks, walk off.

      • 1 vote
      Reply#355 - Wed Jun 6, 2012 10:03 PM EDT

      Idiots. I'm sure the other two teenagers who unhurt are traumatized. It's like a bad horror movie.

      • 1 vote
      Reply#356 - Wed Jun 6, 2012 11:23 PM EDT

      Stupid.

      Hope this happened before any of them managed to breed and pass the stupid genes on.

      • 1 vote
      Reply#357 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 12:50 AM EDT

      have you ever watched the Maury show?

        #357.1 - Sat Jun 9, 2012 2:20 PM EDT
        Reply

        These uncaring, insensitive, totally unnecessary, heartless comments can not come close to the pain the parents feel, does that give any of you an idea of the unending grief and gut wrenching despair these parents and families feel, and you are (with your holier than thou) comments adding to that ungodly burden. Not that most normal people give a care what total a**holes think.

        I think there was a "ring-leader", others followed, even in their own minds thinking "this is not right", probably the two who panicked and were killed and it took guts to go back into a vehicle that was about to be hit by a train. I am guessing that they probably were sitting there listening to music and the battery ran down, what girl (unless she is a farm girl or mechanics daugher) would think of that. Sounds like they had time to get out, but two panicked and couldn't get out, someone went back in to get them, they made a hugh mistake, not a death wish. I do not remember reading that the parents knew, just that it was a known game around the area.

        I lived by train tracks all my life (dad worked for railroad) and know many vehicles get hit by trains for many different reasons. While it is hard to believe you can't see or hear something that big, but people make mistakes. I also feel for the train personnel as I know how hard living with someone elses mistake can be.

        Now all you cold and heartless people can get back to your perfect little lives and die into oblivion along with Darwin, knowing your worthless opinion meant nothing to others and never will.

          Reply#360 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 9:07 AM EDT

          farm girl or mechanics daughter, huh and you're playing the sensitive card so why do you think being a farm girl makes you stupid, how about mechanics daughter (sensitive my butt)

          • 1 vote
          #360.1 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 9:42 AM EDT

          Hold on there dumb sh**. A farmers daughter might know a little more about machinery than a city girl or a mechanics daughter might think to herself "if we sit here with the auxiliary power on for too long the battery in this old car might die". Some people. Hows that for sensitive.

            #360.2 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 9:17 PM EDT
            Reply

            1. the parents shouldn't have even let them play this

            2.if you're this dumb then you should really consider entering the Darwin Awards

            • 1 vote
            Reply#361 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 9:39 AM EDT

            I know you don't enter these awards but they should just make sure those people hear about this

            • 1 vote
            Reply#362 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 9:44 AM EDT

            Unreal how cruel humans can sound toward another.(doubt anyone would say these things to the family or at least hope would have a heart) Like any of them are rocket scientists. It was pretty much bound to happen since they had a fixation about playing on the tracks.

            I think the rule most parents should stick to is not allowed to ride w more than one other teenager in car. Also a curfew. Since they did before take away license for long time. But thats all water under the bridge since cant go back.

              Reply#363 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 10:30 AM EDT

              You losers with your smart remarks are the type of people who are destructive to our future. I'd rather have a dumb friend, family member, neighbor or representative than a cold-hearted a$$hat anyday.

                Reply#364 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 1:16 PM EDT

                Seriously? I knew people were stupid but THIS stupid? I wish I could say I feel sad they died, but I can't honestly say that. They were stupid, they played a game with two names... one name is Ghost Train and the other name of the game is Suicide. All I can say is I'm glad other teens who play this stupid game can now see proof that deadly games are deadly.

                  Reply#365 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 1:48 PM EDT

                  I'm guessing these kids would not have graduated in the upper half of their class.

                    Reply#366 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 2:48 PM EDT

                    A horrible and very avoidable tragedy. I feel so sorry for the kids. A dumb thing to do, but that is the nature of teenage years. However, I am furious at the parents! They KNEW the kids were doing this and did nothing to prevent it from occuring again!?!?!

                      Reply#367 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 2:54 PM EDT

                      Many teenagers are convinced that nothing bad will ever happen to them. I was unusual. I was convinced that, if it could happen, it would happen to me. I stayed out of many stupid things because I had that conviction.

                      I used to tell my students my favorite saying, "My daddy didn't raise no fools!" (Yes, I know it's a double-negative, but it sounds better that way.) I told it to my students and I heard some boys discussing something they should not have considered doing. The conversation ended when one of my students said,'" No way! My daddy didn't raise no fools!" It's a good policy to follow.

                        Reply#368 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 3:12 PM EDT

                        "Marco...............AMTRACK"

                          Reply#369 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 4:26 PM EDT

                          Stupid is as Stupid does

                            Reply#370 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 8:38 PM EDT

                            I dont know how some of you people can actually joke about this,, Very sad, wasted lives what could have maybe been promising,,, Condolences to all their families

                            • 1 vote
                            Reply#371 - Fri Jun 8, 2012 3:42 AM EDT

                            Well at least they're not polluting the gene pool any more. Good riddance.

                              Reply#372 - Fri Jun 8, 2012 7:23 AM EDT

                              Well you makememad

                                #372.1 - Fri Jun 8, 2012 11:02 AM EDT
                                Reply

                                These girls must of been from the other side of the tracks!

                                  Reply#373 - Fri Jun 8, 2012 1:27 PM EDT

                                  evolution..... what can you say.

                                    Reply#374 - Fri Jun 8, 2012 2:03 PM EDT

                                    Sad........

                                      Reply#375 - Fri Jun 8, 2012 2:36 PM EDT
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