They always do.

My guess? Distracted driving.

She had exited the parkway along with a lot of other cars to avoid car accident-related traffic. There was very little road between where she detoured and the crossing gate. She was out of her element; probably the first time she was ever in that spot. Not experienced with rail crossings either, apparently.

When I first read about this I immediately thought that she figured she could beat the train across the tracks instead of stopping. There was a warning, right?

But you have a kinder explanation for her mistake. Her poor family, it is so tragic...

she got out of the car to check the damage when the bar came down on top. Then she got back into the car. She must have been aware of where she was.

Most drivers are aware of the need to wait for a clear spot before crossing rail tracks. She made a tragic mistake.

All of those are probably true. Also, it's difficult to get many people to get out of their autos and get out of the way if their car is immobile at a crossing or can't make it to the other side of the barrier.

with the proper engineering of bridges