According to local legends, the haunted railway tracks on Armstrong Road in Columbus, Mississippi, are the site of a tragic accident where a schoolgirl was struck and killed by a train. This story is a local version of a widespread "ghost tracks" urban legend found in many parts of the United States. The ghost of the girl is said to remain at the tracks, where she was killed. The story claims that if you park your car on the tracks in neutral, the spirit of the girl will push the vehicle off the tracks to prevent you from suffering the same fate she did. People who have tested the legend sometimes report seeing small, childlike handprints appear on their car's bumper or trunk, which they attribute to the girl's spirit. Skeptics and engineers explain the phenomenon as an optical illusion. The slight downward slope of the road makes it appear as if the car is being pushed uphill when it is actually just rolling down a gentle incline.