Limo, meet locomotive: Sweet 16 turns into a literal trainwreck in Indiana

By Andrew Hard July 23, 2015

Amazing Limo vs Train Crash July 18 2015 Elkhart County Indiana

When people think of “crashing the party” it usually involves a group of rambunctious friends, cops, or perhaps Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson cruising a wedding. A Sweet 16 party in New Paris, Indiana took the term literally after the group’s stretch limousine bottomed out over train tracks. You can probably guess what happened next, but you should know right off the bat that nobody was injured in the crash.

A locomotive soon rounded the corner, horn blaring, but the stretched and stranded Chrysler 300 wouldn’t budge. With the occupants safely out of the vehicle, the train barreled forward, smashing into the limousine and pushing it down the track at the expense of a few railroad signs. A video posted by Studio Noe Productions starts well after the Chrysler got itself stuck, and it documents the impact from just feet away. If you ever find yourself in that situation, we might recommend standing a bit farther back.

Stretch limousine crash — Image used with permission by copyright holder

According to the operator, the train was hauling around “10,000 tons” of cargo when the accident occurred, making any kind of sudden stop all but impossible. According to the Minnesota Safety Council, the average 90-car freight train is approximately 1 mile in length, and when it’s moving at 55 mph, it can take a mile or more for it to stop after the engineer applies the emergency brake.

As for the elongated 300, it held up surprisingly well. The window and door on the receiving side were heavily damaged and the body is a tad crumpled, but the real-world effects are nothing like what Hollywood would have you believe.

As for the lucky youngsters inside the car, we hope prom night goes a little more smoothly.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…

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