The close call happened around 3 a.m. one day at the end of July.
The officers were on patrol when they spotted the car straddling the tracks on Paces Ferry Road near downtown Vinings.
Soon after they got out to investigate, the crossarms came down with a freight train closing in.
With no time to lose, the officers screamed to try wake up the man, who apparently was passed out in his locked car with his radio blaring loudly.
“Get out! A train is coming! Get out! Get out!” an officer can be heard yelling on the dashcam video.
When the man wouldn't get out of the car, one of officers smashed the driver's side window so they could pull the stranger from his car to safety.
Seconds later, the train slammed into the car.
“They saved his life.” Cobb police rescue man passed out behind the wheel of his car. It was straddling railroad tracks seconds before a train slammed into it. See the dramatic video of the crash, live at 6pm. pic.twitter.com/ON0nzK5RUt
— Tom Regan (@tomreganWSB) September 24, 2019
WSB-TV's Tom Regan learned Tuesday that railroad crossing crashes are common in Georgia. Last year, the state ranked fourth in the U.S. with 113 collisions and 11 deaths.
In 2015, a train crashed into a MARTA bus, injuring the driver and five passengers. Last July, three women died after a freight train hit their car in south Fulton County.
Because of the quick actions of these Cobb County officers, that didn't happen in this case.
“If they weren't there, that guy might have died. So good thing they were around,” Cobb County resident Corey McKinley told Regan.
“That was very heroic,” another woman said, who did not identify herself.
Police have not released the name of the man they rescued. He faces several charges, including DUI.
About the Author