A train hits someone every two hours in the U.S.

Almost always, suicide victims peer into the locomotive cab in their final moments. They stare right into the eyes of the engineer, perhaps reaching for a last human connection.

A related problem in the U.S. is accidents at level crossings. In rural areas there are frequent unprotected road crossings, and train-car accidents are pretty common.

I was on a train a year ago that hit a car; luckily the driver was only slightly injured (the front of the car was completely demolished), but the train crew had to fill out police paperwork and we were delayed for several hours. I looked at the front of the engine afterwards and there was one small scratch on the snowplow. Accident report is at
http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/Query/Default.asp?page=gxrabbr.asp

On my trip from Chicago to Denver today, we only had the problem of a freight train derailment ahead of us, which resulted in an unexpected 50 km bus ride...