Police said the car went around active crossing gates before the impact.
MOBILE, AL — A 31-year-old mother and her 8-year-old daughter were killed when an Amtrak train struck their vehicle at a railroad crossing in south Mobile County, police said. Investigators said the driver went around active warning signals and gates shortly before 7 a.m. Saturday.
The crash shut down a busy stretch of Bellingrath Road as police and fire crews worked the scene and investigators examined the crossing equipment. Officials said the train’s lights, bells and gate arms were working at the time. The deaths added to renewed attention on grade-crossing safety as authorities began reviewing what led up to the collision.
Mobile police identified the driver as Britney Williams, 31, and said her daughter, 8, was also in the vehicle. The crash happened at a railroad crossing on Bellingrath Road in the Theodore area of Mobile County, near Peary Road and the Cary Hamilton Road area, officials said. Police and Mobile Fire-Rescue units were called at about 6:51 a.m., and responders found the vehicle heavily damaged at the tracks. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Steven Millhouse of Mobile Fire-Rescue said the department arrived to a “single vehicle struck by an Amtrak train” and confirmed “two deceased” in the car. No injuries were reported among people on the train, officials said.
Investigators said the crossing’s audible signal, flashing lights and gate arms were operating properly when the train approached. Police said the vehicle drove around the visible warnings before the train hit it. The train continued down the tracks after impact before it could stop, traveling about 2,100 feet, officials said. Emergency personnel checked rail cars and passengers while officers secured the roadway and began collecting evidence. Authorities did not immediately release the child’s name. They also did not say how many people were aboard the passenger train, though officials said none of them were hurt.
Rail crossings on busy roads can create split-second decisions for drivers, but investigators said the safety equipment in this case was active and functioning. The crossing at Bellingrath Road is in a commercial corridor that carries commuter traffic and freight movement near Mobile’s port and industrial sites. Mobile Fire-Rescue said CSX personnel were on scene as the response unfolded, and police said they were continuing to look at the sequence of events leading up to the collision. Officials did not describe weather conditions at the time, and they did not say whether speed, distraction, impairment or a medical issue played any role. Police said those questions remained under review.
The crash also raised questions about the train’s route and operations that morning. Mobile Fire-Rescue said the train left Mobile about 6:30 a.m. and was headed toward New Orleans. After the collision, the tracks were eventually cleared, but officials initially said it was not immediately known whether the passenger train would continue on its original schedule. Amtrak said it was cooperating with investigators, and police said they expected additional information to be released as the investigation progressed. Authorities did not announce any immediate citations or charges connected to the crash.
Drivers in the area described long backups as crews diverted traffic and investigators documented the scene. Police vehicles blocked lanes near the crossing while responders worked in the shoulder and along the tracks. Millhouse called the situation “devastating” for the families involved and said the department’s role was to secure the area and support the investigation. Officials also worked to notify relatives and coordinate removal of the damaged vehicle. By late morning, authorities said the immediate scene had been cleared enough for rail operations to resume, though the investigation remained active.
Police said Monday that the investigation was continuing and that they were still reviewing details from the scene, including information related to the crossing signals and the train’s movement before and after the impact. Officials did not provide a timeline for completion of the investigation or say whether any formal findings would be released. For now, authorities said the known facts were limited to the operation of the crossing equipment, the vehicle’s movement around the gates and the resulting collision that killed Williams and her daughter.
Author note: Last updated February 23, 2026.