Most towns have a house or stretch of road that is reportedly haunted. San Antonio is home to one such intersection. This railroad crossing was supposedly the site of a fatal school bus accident. The ghosts of these dead children linger in the area, ready to “push” any cars that are stopped on or near the tracks, leaving ghostly handprints. 

This haunted road attracts both amateur and professional ghost hunters to evaluate ghostly handprints

This hub of paranormal activity is at the intersection of Shane and Villamain Roads, just southeast of the I-410 loop. And like all good ghost stories, there are a few variations out there. The common thread of all of these tales is that sometime in the 1930s or 1940s, a school bus stalled on the tracks. An oncoming train couldn’t stop in time, and all of the children on board were killed. 

Supposedly, the spirits of these children remain at the intersection. Drivers have tried to confirm their ghostly presence by putting their cars in neutral on or just before the tracks. Fearing another accident, the spirits of these children are summoned, and they gently “push” the vehicle to safety. 

For anyone who grew up in the San Antonio area, trying to have your car “pushed” by these spirits was a rite of passage. In an attempt to have physical evidence of these spooky encounters, some people have dusted baby powder on the outside of their vehicles. They claim that these ghosts left tiny ghostly handprints in the powder.

The intersection is famous not just to locals but to thrill-seekers everywhere. When Ghost Adventures was in the area to film an abandoned hotel during season nine, they took a detour to investigate the intersection.

Is there a logical explanation for the “push” sensation? And did a train crash happen on these tracks? Or is it all just urban legend?

The real story of the ghostly handprints of the San Antonio haunted road is more fiction than fact

The Travel Channel and Ghost City Tours have discussed the legend on their respective websites. Unfortunately for any ghost hunters, the paranormal activity at this railroad crossing has been debunked. 

First, there is no evidence that a school bus accident ever occurred at this intersection. The tale may have its roots in late 1838 when the San Antonio Express ran an article about a train and school bus accident in Salt Lake City. Over time, the accident may have been falsely attributed to the now-famous San Antonio intersection. 

As for the sensation that young spirits “push” the vehicles over the tracks, that has a simple explanation: gravity. The structure of the road causes cars to roll forward. But as for the people who claim their car had tiny handprints on it, that remains a mystery. Perhaps that’s a case of a haunted car and not the roadway, much like Stephen King’s “Christine.”

Today, anyone who hopes to have their car “pushed” by ghosts at this intersection is out of luck. The city became concerned about the number of people who would park at this spot, hoping for a ghostly encounter. Local officials feared a real car versus train accident, and the road was restructured back in 2018. 

San Antonio is home to another ‘spooky’ car-related story

That isn’t the only spooky car story to come out of San Antonio. In the late 1970s, a wealthy woman named Sandra West died. The preparation for West’s funeral and burial was no simple task. Her will requested that she be buried not in a traditional casket but inside her beloved Ferrari 330. 

It took quite a bit of effort and coordination, but West’s body was placed in the driver’s seat before the car was lowered into a large concrete vault and buried. According to Find a Grave, West’s final resting place is the Alamo Masonic Cemetery. There are no documented reports of any paranormal activity at the gravesite. However, this is still a must-see location for anyone who wants to check out some of San Antonio’s legendary spots.