Just after midnight on Aug. 21, 2012, a coal train derailed in Ellicott City, Maryland, killing two 19-year-old college students, Rose Mayr and Elizabeth Nass, who happened to be sitting on the edge of a railroad bridge over Main Street.

Here is a TV news copter photo of the aftermath. Main street has been cleared but the tipped over coal cars are still on the bridge. I noticed the two white arcs at either end of the bridge, and I wondered what they were:

They are not obvious in this second shot from a different angle, probably taken within seconds of the first pic:

I don't know if anyone else on the web ever noticed this, but what totally threw me was what is visible in this picture, tweeted by one of the girls shortly before the accident, showing their feet dangling over Main Street. What is that white arc? It doesn't seem to be a mark on the street, as it is out of focus and too bright. It also doesn't seem to be anything attached to the bridge. It looks like a photographic anomaly or lens defect or something. But then why does it look so much like the arcs in the news photo above? From the appearance of the street, they seemed to be sitting very near the left arc in the first photo. Angels? Ghosts? Unless someone thinks of an obvious explanation I have missed, I will be weirded out by this for some time to come.

image reduced, click for full size:

Source of TV news images:
http://archive.wusa9.com/news/photo-gallery.aspx?storyid=217665

Source of tweeted image, with more details:
http://www.oregonherald.com/bnews/story.htm?id=370

By the way, Ellicott City has a reputation as being one of the most haunted towns in America:
http://www.ellicottcity.net/tourism/haunted/