3 crashes already on Gulf Coast Amtrak line. Problem, or tragic coincidence?

Geneva Ellegant sat outside her Alabama home on a Tuesday morning, remembering her daughter’s witty humor, her gift for painting and her beautiful singing voice.

“She was my easy child,” Ellegant said of her daughter, Tavianna, who went by Tavi.

Nearly three months earlier, Tavi had left work with her boyfriend, Chase Craddock, to return to their home in Long Beach, where the couple cared for his father and grandmother. As they crossed the tracks in Pass Christian, an Amtrak train on the new Mardi Gras route between New Orleans and Mobile struck their vehicle. She was 24, and he was 31.

Since the crash, Ellegant has feared that fatal collisions like the one in September could become more common along the line, where some crossings — including the one where her daughter died — have only flashing lights and no gates.

Two more crashes have occurred along the service since: one in Gautier in November that killed a 40-year-old man, and another in Irvington, Alabama, last week, in which the driver survived. Both of those crossings had gates and caution lights.

The rising number of collisions since the line began operating in August has raised concerns among some residents about whether existing safety measures are sufficient to prevent more crashes. Some transportation leaders say the recent incidents may be coincidental and urge drivers along the route to be vigilant as train traffic increases.

Now, the safety measures along the Mississippi Coast are beginning to shift. The state’s Department of Transportation plans to install lights and gates at all crossings along the coast and intends to add more gates in Pass Christian in the coming months, according to Josh Stubbs, director of aeronautics and rails at MDOT.

The addition of Amtrak in a region already busy with freight operations means “more chances each day for something to happen,” Stubbs said. Louisiana and Alabama were among the top 10 states for highway-rail grade crossing collisions in 2024, with 176 collisions, 76 injuries and 9 deaths combined, according to data provided by Operation Lifesaver.

Still, Stubbs said it remained unclear whether the crashes involving the Mardi Gras service pointed to broader safety issues, noting there are no comparable routes in the region to analyze the collision numbers.

“Hopefully,” he added, “it’s just some sad coincidences.”

Safety efforts made by Amtrak, leaders

Amtrak’s return to the Gulf Coast has been popular. More than 420 people, on average, ride the trains between New Orleans and Mobile each day. The Southern Rail Commission last week called the route “one of the most successful service launches in Amtrak’s history.”

Transportation leaders say Amtrak’s return also carries several risks. The Gulf Coast is a populous area with dozens of railroad crossings. Kimbler Sloan, the executive director of a nonprofit rail safety group called Mississippi Operation Lifesaver, said younger residents across the region may still be getting used to more frequent Amtrak trains.

“We try our best to push safety,” said Sloan, who often reminds drivers that trains cannot stop quickly. “But there’s only so much that we can do to spread the message.”

On the Mississippi Coast, state and nonprofit leaders have sought to improve safety at railroad crossings. Mississippi Operation Lifesaver placed billboards near railroad crossings in Gulfport and Biloxi asking drivers to be cautious near the tracks. The nonprofit has also targeted railroad crossing safety advertisements that pop up on cell phones when people are near train tracks.

MDOT finished leveling inclines around railroad crossings this year in Long Beach in an attempt to stop semi-trucks from getting stuck on the tracks, and there are plans to expand the project to Pass Christian, Gulfport and Biloxi.

The safety equipment at each crossing is installed and maintained by CSX, the large freight railroad that owns much of the track, after consultation with state and local highway officials, who determine the type of equipment required, according to a CSX spokesperson..

Regulations for railroad crossings vary by state, and Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama do not require gates or flashing warning signs at every crossing, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The only minimum requirement is a crossbuck sign.

Even at crossing gates, drivers sometimes go around them, Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said. In Gautier and Irvington, the trains hit drivers who maneuvered past the lowered gates.

“The gates are an enhancement of a warning device,” Magliari said. “It’s not a force field.”

The three crashes along the Gulf Coast corridor, he added, are “not necessarily some factor of percentages more than somewhere else.”

Magliari said Amtrak prepares for situations like the one in Irvington by providing educational materials on railroad safety, including guidance on what to do if your vehicle is on the tracks as a train approaches. He said the company plans to continue those efforts along the Gulf Coast, where there had been no Amtrak service for more than 20 years.

“We’re going to keep up the efforts,” Magliari said. “We’re certainly not letting up.”

‘It hurts’

Geneva Ellegant doesn’t have a solution to prevent crashes like the one that took her daughter’s life, but she believes there should be stronger safety measures along the Gulf Coast corridor.

“These trains are coming through residential areas,” she said, “and there needs to be better indicators because this is going to happen more frequently, especially now that Amtrak is back.”

She spent Tuesday morning remembering her daughter’s loving nature and her close relationship with Chase Craddock, her boyfriend of more than two years. Geneva Ellegant showed a photograph of the couple smiling.

“If you look at her face in this picture,” she said, “That’s genuine happiness.”

She also described her daughter’s creative streak: her sketchbook filled with drawings she had made for her little brother, her Gothic fashion style and her love for sewing.

The crash reopened a wound for Geneva Ellegant, who lost her son years ago. She said she is trying to push through the grief, adding “you don’t get over this, but you do get through it.”

“It just, it hurts,” she said. “It really hurts.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Based on information provided, an earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the group responsible for determining the safety equipment required at railroad crossings.

This story was originally published December 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM.