Two women were struck and killed by an Amtrak train in St. Louis in early July. Family members say both victims had been attending a “pop up” concert nearby the tracks before they were hit. The area where the accident occurred is just south of Manchester Avenue where Kingshighway passes over the railroad tracks.
The names of the women were Jaclyn Landow and Olivia Mares, both of St. Louis. Both 20-year-olds had been sitting on the train tracks when the accident occurred. They were pronounced dead a the scene around 11:30 p.m.
Several hundred people reportedly showed up at the site for an illegal concert earlier that night, according to family members. A short video clip was posted on-line showing people dancing to music with a freight rain passing by in the background.
A witness stated that the two women went back to their car because Landow had a headache. Police stated that video from the Amtrak train showed the two women sitting facing north on the north rail of the tracks. The train approached from the west. Police officers reported hearing music and saw people running from the scene when they arrived.
The area where the accident occurred is known as a “quiet zone” where trains do not normally blow their horns. Witnesses reported to the police that they heard a horn just before the train came to a stop. Whether the train blew its horn before the women were struck is unclear.
The train that hit the women was No. 316 from Kansas City. The train was within four miles of its stop at the downtown St. Louis Amtrak station. No one on board the train was injured.
