HOUSTON – Vivian Guan, 20, was hit by a METRO light rail train weighing 100,000 pounds on Monday, July 22.
Guan was crossing Main Street at McKinney when the METRORail train hit her head-on and ended her promising life.
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Her friend, Rachel Gonzalez, told Local 2, "This girl had a life beyond anything I've seen. A lot of people have gifts, but this girl had it all."
As Guan's closest friends gathered at a makeshift memorial erected in her honor at the accident scene, those very same friends are demanding changes at the downtown rail crossing.
These friends, who are also all professional designers, said a warning sign designed to protect people is actually the biggest problem at the intersection.
"The problem is this sign that says 'Stop, Look and Listen' is directly in your eye line as you look down the street to see if a train is coming. It literally blocks your view of the oncoming train," said John Hettwer.
But Guan's friends said it's not just that sign. They said there should also be a guardrail that comes down and blocks you, and there should be some sort of a curb that warns you where the tracks begin.
The tragic irony in all of this is that Guan was studying at Rice University to become an architect so she could design a safer world. Now all her friends want to do is design a safe rail crossing.
"All they have to do is move this sign three or four feet to the right, which will open up the entire area and make it possible for people to see trains that are coming their way," Hettwer said.
A METRO spokesperson said the agency wants to get in touch with Guan's friends to discuss their concerns and possible ways of making the train crossing safer.
