Family wants railroad safety in Buda after teen killed
The family of the 13-year-old girl hit and killed by a train in Buda are hoping their loss can help others. They reached out to FOX 7 to explain how they plan to do that.
Since the tragic accident two weeks ago, the family has been working with railroad representatives. They want to see more safety measures around train tracks that warn children of the dangers.
The voice of Tanley Yacos carries on. With it, carrying her family through this hard time.
"She was funny, she was kind and she was talented. She just made a bad choice that night and it ended tragically," says Alice Roe, mother of Tanley.
Just steps away from the train tracks in Buda is a memorial for the 13-year-old. One they hope will forever serve as a lesson.
According to Operation Lifesaver, trains overhang the tracks by at least three feet in both directions.
"That is what would have possibly benefited Tanley. She just didn't know the train was as wide as it was. She was walking and looking down at the ground. She was trying to stay on a line along the tracks, at what she thought was a safe distance," says Tanley's mother.
Tanley and her friend were having a sleepover on March 25th when her parents say they sneaked out of the house.
The pair were walking near the South Loop 4 and Houston Street tracks around 2:00 am when an oncoming train engineer spotted them and blew the horn. Tanley was hit and killed.
"I kissed her on her cheek. I told her I loved her and I would see her in the morning. No one says goodnight to their child and expects to get a call at 3:30 in the morning," says Tanley's mother.
Since then, her parents have been working with Hays CISD, city officials and railroad representatives. They're hoping with better education, they may be able to save others.
"It's not something you think about until tragedy strikes. There's education in the schools about texting and driving, drivers education, there's the DARE program. There's already programs in schools, let's add this one," says Tanley's mother.
The family says railroad representatives are offering to give safety presentations to students.
They would also like them to consider putting up more warning signs near the tracks, explaining all of the dangers.
"Nothing good will come from this for us, but maybe for someone else," says Tanley's mother.
It can take a mile or more to stop a train, so a locomotive engineer who suddenly sees someone on the tracks will likely be unable to stop in time.
These are things that Tanley's parents want the public to remember now that their daughter is gone.
"I'll never hear her voice again, except what we have recorded. It's just so awful. We're just trying to figure out how to be a family again without her," says Tanley's mother.