HAINES CITY, Fla. (AP) — An Amtrak train struck and killed an 11-year-old girl as she walked home from a restaurant near her home in Florida.
Polk County Sheriff’s officials said in a news release that the train’s conductor told investigators Yazmin White was looking down at her phone as she crossed the tracks on Wednesday afternoon and gave no indication she was aware the train was approaching.
The train, which had 12 passenger cars and two engines, was going about 68 miles per hour (110 kph) when it hit her.
Investigators say the conductor told them he repeatedly sounded the horn and applied the brakes but couldn’t avoid the child.
The release said evidence at the scene indicated the girl was wearing headphones when the train hit her.
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