CELL PHONES BLAMED IN TRAIN DEATHS, INJURIES

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USA --  Cell phones have long been blamed for distracting drivers and leading to vehicle mishaps. Now, according to recent reports from the Associated Press, CNN and AOL News, they also are linked to people getting hit by trains.

According to reports, two people were struck and killed by trains while talking or texting on cell phones and a third sustained serious injury -- all in separate incidents.

In November, a train struck and killed a man in Berkeley, Calif., while he crossed the train tracks on foot. Witnesses said that the man was distracted by talking on the cell phone. The man stood by the side of two sets of the tracks waiting for one train to cross, then immediately stepped out onto the tracks and was struck by a second train passing in the opposite direction.

This was eerily similar to an incident in Cincinnati, Ohio, that occurred in August. There, a teen was texting on his cell phone and did the same thing -- crossed the tracks behind one train only to step in front of the second. He was thrown 50 feet and knocked unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital, and, fortunately, survived.

In another incident in March 2006, a train struck and killed a deaf beauty contest winner who was walking along the railroad tracks from her Austin, Texas, home to her mother's workplace, text-messaging family and friends, according to the Austin Police Department.

The 18-year-old was walking northbound along the railroad ties, with her back to the train as it approached.

A horn sounded, but the train crew couldn't get a response from her. They activated their emergency braking system, but they weren't able to stop in time.   A snowplow -- commonly referred to as "cattle-guards" for pushing items away from the tracks to avoid train damage -- struck the teen, who was estimated to be no more than a foot from the tracks, police said. The snowplow extends approximately 16 inches on each side from the train and was mounted to the front engine.

The teen died at the scene from multiple traumatic injuries.

If crossing the train tracks, it's a good practice to put away cell phones, iPods or anything else that can distract you from making it safely across the tracks.