The three of us rushed to the scene to find a partially-smashed car and a stopped Amtrak train that was apparently heading out of town.

We arrived before the paramedics and learned from the throng of bystanders what happened. Luckily, none of the three passengers in the car sustained life-threatening injuries.

The following is one of my favorite images from the wreck, giving a different perspective:

A boy peers beneath the train to look at a wrecked vehicle after it was struck by a westbound Amtrak train around 5 p.m. Friday afternoon near the intersection of 6th Avenue and Railroad Street. (Photo by Erin Parker / The Hattiesburg American)

More images from the wreck can be found at the Hattiesburg American Web site here.

Want to know why?

Check out all these links and photo galleries. I think they explain it all.

Miss Hospitality pageant photos (here and here)
First Tee of the Pine Belt celebration (here)
Regina Adams appreciation at Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist (here)
Body found in apartment (here) –> This was a surprise Sunday afternoon, and now knowing what happened makes it pretty crazy.
PCS teachers prepare for school (here)
NFHS football community service (here)
First day of school at the DuBard School (here)

And last but not least, Sumrall football practice.

Sumrall High School player Brian Hartfield (12) dives to catch a pass Wednesday afternoon during practice. (Erin Parker / The Hattiesburg American)

More images can be found at the Hattiesburg American Web site.

What have you been up to recently?

We stumbled upon the scene, and it was something I had never seen before. (And will probably never see again in this town.)

Swift water rescues rarely happen in Mississippi because, well, we don’t really have that much swift water. But the location in this river these two people were stranded had fast-moving water and apparently, that spot is the most dangerous part of the river because of the strong current and the depth of the water.

I made my way over to the edge of the river, moving around the multiple spectators who were all watching the drama unfold, and ended up standing on the rock closest to the rapids where a woman was clinging to rocks as the water rushed past her. A fireman stopped me, stating that if I went any farther, they would have to rescue me out of the chilly water.

I didn’t have much time, as the rescue boat was already in the water, and I prepared myself to photograph the breaking news. There was one problem, though. A tree was in the way.

Solution? Shoot through it.

Hattiesburg firefighter Scott Craft perches on the front of the Hattiesburg Fire Department Swift Water Rescue Team boat as he and Danny Wade and Matt Rungelin, neither pictured, reaches out to the woman stranded on rocks near the rapids of the Bouie River Tuesday afternoon near the Glendale Avenue bridge. Members of the Hattiesburg and Petal Fire Departments, along with the North Forrest and Rawls Springs Volunteer Fire Departments worked together to rescue the two stranded boaters from the frigid water. (Erin Parker / The Hattiesburg American)

After they rescued and brought the woman to land, the Swift Water Rescue Team headed downriver to save the man who had also been in the boat. I wasn’t able to see them pull him out of the water, but I did capture the emergency personnel carrying him toward a waiting ambulance.

Firefighters and other emergency personnel move a man after pulling him out of the Bouie River Tuesday afternoon near the Glendale Avenue bridge. (Erin Parker / The Hattiesburg American)

You can read the story here and see all the photos from the rescue here.