The message about not drinking and driving has been drilled into people’s heads over and over again, yet there always seem to be those who believe the rules do not apply to them. Aside from the obvious danger of causing a serious crash, being drunk can also lead to other reckless and embarrassing incidents. One of those situations includes getting a car stuck on active railroad tracks, which is exactly what happened in Quincy, Illinois, when a group of drunk individuals found themselves in a terrifying and avoidable situation.
In Quincy, a group of drunk people somehow managed to drive their vehicle onto railroad tracks and get it completely stuck. Fortunately, there was no train nearby when they first realized what had happened. The drunk group was able to exit the car safely and immediately began trying to figure out how to dislodge it from the tracks. In a video later shared online, the group can be heard talking over one another, clearly panicked and disorganized. The drunk driver even attempted to rev the engine repeatedly, hoping the car would somehow free itself.
One woman in the group tried desperately to push the vehicle while shouting at the men to help her. Shockingly, none of the drunk men made any serious effort to assist. One stayed in the driver’s seat without accomplishing anything, while another became so angry that he began banging on the car instead of helping move it. The entire struggle dragged on for roughly nine minutes, with the car still stuck firmly on the tracks in Quincy, until a train finally appeared in the distance.
The train, which was traveling southwest, eventually struck the rear of the vehicle. Rather than crushing it instantly, the train pushed the car approximately 300 feet down the tracks before coming to a stop. By that time, the drunk group had already fled the scene, leaving the car behind as the only thing in harm’s way. Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident, despite how easily the situation could have ended in tragedy.
The incident did not go unnoticed by authorities. The drunk driver, identified as Anders, was later cited for DUI, improper lane usage, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. The consequences followed quickly, adding legal trouble to what was already a costly and humiliating mistake.
Online commenters who watched the video from Quincy were stunned by what they saw. Many pointed out how useless the drunk men appeared, noting that the woman was the only person making any real attempt to fix the situation. One user wrote, “Watched the whole thing. The only one with some courage to actually do anything was the girl. Other dudes are literally brain dead.” Another commented, “If you ever feel ignored, just think about that woman and realize it could always be worse.”
Some users remarked that incidents like this are far more common than people realize, especially for train engineers. One person shared, “I’ve heard it said that for train engineers, it’s not if you hit a car on the tracks, it’s when. One of my dad’s coworkers got drunk and stuck his truck on the tracks, and after it was hit, the railroad company sent him a bill to repaint the engine where it was scratched.”
