Sierra Thornton, an Ohio teenager learning to drive, was killed after her SUV was hit by a train on Sunday, according to reports.
Thornton, a 15-year-old from Ravenna, was with her father and four sisters when they were driving. They were injured during the crash, but their conditions are not known, reported the Akron Beacon Journal.
Thornton was pronounced dead on the scene and the other victims have not been named yet.
According to the report, Thornton did not notice that a train was coming when her father pointed it out, an official said.
When her father told her, Thornton stopped on the tracks–which did not have a crossing guard–and panicked.
“She got into a panic and didn’t know what to do and was not able to get out of the way of the train,” Portage County Sheriff David Doak told the paper. “We think she was trying to get the vehicle into another gear or trying to back up.”
Her father was a carrier for the Record-Courier since 2007, according to the paper.
“He’s an outstanding carrier,” Circulation Director Gary Hurst said of Thornton. “He’s just a wonderful guy.” He is a single father raising four girls.
He was taken to the hospital and his four daughters were sent to Akron Children’s Hospital.
