I went to those tracks a few days after it happened. Very disturbing and eerie feeling being there and still seeing pieces of the car around. I had the bumper in my hands.

Now you see us WHAMMMM now you dont.

DELETED

It does several hundred thousand dollars damage to a train when it has to go into emergency slide as this train did. A few seconds after impact you can hear the locked wheels slid, eventually bringing the train to a stop. Even then, it takes nearly a mile to stop the train. Slides destroy every wheel on every car on the train from any speed above 30mph. The friction of the slide wears the wheel's out of round with a deep flat spot and it can cause the section of track to require replacing as well.
Next time you sit at a crossing, listen for cars that have been in an emergency slide while on another train somewhere. That car will sound a distinctive thump, thump thump as the wheels flat spots strike the track.
More than you ever wanted to know about train wheels I'm sure.
For the killed driver, it's Darwinism at work. For the 4 dead passengers, it's poor judgement in picking friends.
Uncle Fester

IHOP anyone???