EDGARD �“ An early morning train accident in Edgard Friday claimed the life of two women and injured a 13-year-old boy, said a spokesman for the St. John Sheriff’s Office.
Capt. Dane Clement, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said Deidre Pierce, 45, a kindergarten teacher at Our Lady of Grace School, and Donna Lumar, 56, both of Edgard, suffered fatal injuries after the vehicle they were riding in collided with a freight train as the vehicle crossed the Union Pacific at West 4th Street. Clement said the two women as well as 13-year-old were thrown from the vehicle upon impact.
  
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According to a report from police, Pierce was traveling southbound on West 4th Street at the time of the accident and the freight train was heading east toward New Orleans. Clement said the vehicle appeared to be stopped on the tracks when the train reached the intersection. Following impact, the vehicle came to rest in a ditch about 100 feet from the road.
The intersection has no warning signal, but two witnesses said the train was blowing its whistle as it approached the intersection. Clement said it is unclear how fast the train was traveling.
News of the accident spread like wildfire throughout the area as residents from all parts of the West Bank community came out to support and comfort both families.
She was one of a kind,” said Myrtle Walker referring to Pierce. “She was kind to everybody, children and adults. It’s a loss to all of us.”
Walker said she and Pierce are neighbors and that they would often ride together to bingo. She said Pierce always had to be the driver and would often take several along.
“She never wanted anybody else to drive,” said Walker. “She wouldn’t even take our gas money. I used to tell her ‘when blessings start coming to you, you aren’t going to know how to handle them.’ Everybody loved her.”
At Our Lady Of Grace School in Reserve, teachers and administrators recalled Pierce’s kind nature and dedication to her school kids. Pierce had been teaching at the school for over 20 years.
“She was one who rarely missed school because she wanted to always be with her babies,” said Principal Camille Treaudo. “She was always the first to send a card or offer kind words when a tragedy struck.”
Treaudo said the school was preparing an assembly in the church to address the issue. She said grief counselors were on hand all morning to help children and parents come to grips with the tragic events.
“I can’t imagine coming here without her,” said fellow teacher Yvette Perrilloux. “It just doesn’t seem real.”
Very little information about Lumar was available at press time and family members were unavailable for comment. St. John Sheriff’s deputies and State Police are still investigating the accident.
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