Video: Ernestina Pais Dies at 54 After Train Collision at Railway Crossing

Argentine journalist and television personality Ernestina Pais died Friday at the age of 54. Police sources confirmed to LA NACION that Pais was driving her vehicle when she crossed a railway crossing and was hit by a train in San Isidro.

Video footage from a security camera at a nearby house captured the moment the train dragged Pais's car. The incident occurred as Pais drove her black Honda City across the railway crossing at Sáenz Peña and El Cano streets, part of the Tren de la Costa line of the Mitre railway. She reportedly crossed with the barrier down. The impact occurred on the driver's side, and Pais was the sole fatality.

The train's horn and the sound of the collision with the vehicle are audible in the footage. The car was dragged at least 50 meters along the tracks. Forensic experts are conducting an autopsy, with results expected soon. Scientific Police and the San Isidro Prosecutor's Office are investigating the details of the crash.

Pais was a prominent figure in Argentine radio and television. She gained significant recognition as the host of the television program "Caiga Quien Caiga" (CQC), being the only woman to lead the show. Earlier in her career, she was part of the panel for "Mañanas Informales" on Canal 13 with Jorge Guinzburg, and she began collaborating with him in the late 1990s and early 2000s on the program "La Biblia y el Calefón."

In recent years, Pais had been involved in several traffic accidents. The most recent prior to this incident was in March in Vicente López, when the journalist collided with another vehicle on Avenida del Libertador. At that time, she refused to take an alcohol test. According to provincial transportation ministry sources, she had been disqualified from driving until October 8, 2027.