CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Miles away from the tracks, Jeanine Romanczyk can hear the train's loud from her home day after day.
Each and every time, the howling sound renews the pain she has felt since the Saturday night of March 30.
On that day her daughter, 28-year-old Taylor Romanczyk, was killed by a train as she drove across the railroad crossing on Snowden Street in Chesapeake.
“It’s all a bad dream, and she's gonna walk through the door,” said Jeanine. “Until we ride by the train tracks and we see it's not a bad dream.”
Jeanine said the death of her loving daughter could have been prevented if the railroad crossing had safety measures in place the night she drove across it.
The crossing doesn’t have gates or flashing lights to warn drivers when a train is coming. Jeanine has been fighting for change since Taylor's death. The community even started an online petition to have safety devices installed at the crossing.
Back in May, city leaders in Chesapeake agreed to set aside $250,000 to improve the crossing’s safety. In July, city leaders passed a resolution to require CSX, the company that owns the railroad, to use the city’s money to install the safety measures.
Nearly eight months since the accident, the crossing remains the same.
“Every time I drive by that railroad track and I see nothing has been done, that is another moment of weakness for us,” said Jeanine. “The only thing I can wonder is, are they waiting for another death?”
We reached out to CSX for an update on the process to improve the crossing’s safety. A spokesperson for the company provided this statement:
"We have completed signal design plans and are working on construction agreements. Once all of the required agreements are finalized and the funds to meet the estimate are received, we can begin the process for construction and installation."
We asked the spokesperson if CSX has a timeframe as to when the safety devices will be installed, but they didn't give an answer or provide any further details.
“I want Taylor's crossing fixed safely, so no other family goes through this,” said Jeanine.
She struggles to cope with the loss of her daughter day after day. This upcoming holiday season will be the first without her daughter. Jeanine said Thanksgiving was Taylor’s favorite holiday, because it gave her an opportunity to be thankful for the people she had in her life.
“I don't know how we're gonna get through Thanksgiving, don't know how we're gonna get through Christmas, and don't know how we're gonna do her birthday,” said Jeanine as she choked back the tears.
Taylor would have turned 29 years old in January.
Despite the pain, Jeanine tries to keep pushing for change along the crossing where her oldest child lost her life.
“My strength comes from knowing we won’t give up the fight until it’s done,” said Jeanine.