My father-in-law has worked for the railroad for over 25 years and the stories he's told us. This little lady was lucky, stupid, but lucky.

It just amazes me how many times on my way to work I see people in SUV’s and Mini Van’s stop on the railroad crossings or drive around the crossing gates to get to where they’re going quicker.

 

Something about SUV'S Carlene

My truck tells me to stop or she will slap me

 

When I was still driving over the road, I would see this quite often. It always amazed me that people would risk their lives and those of their children. Trains cant stop on a dime.

Undoubtedly, the woman hit by the train will follow a lawsuit against the railroad. She will probably claim that the railroad didnt do enough to prevent her from crossing the tracks.

I think it all comes down to personal responsibility, which unfortunately is no longer being taught in a lot of homes.

 

I'll never understand how anyone can get hit by a train. It's not like you don't know where it's gonna be... Duh!... It's gonna be on the tracks!

 

Some people are just insane. I see it all the time, SUV's weaving in and out of traffic - the passengers - are little kids of course. And the parents just don't seem to mind putting their family at risk. Makes no sense to me.

 

You sound like me. Lack of responsibility is the biggest problem we have in this country.

You smoked for 30 years and now have lung cancer? Not your fault even though logic tells you inhaling any smoke is bad. Spilled hot coffee on your crotch? Not your fault as you didn't know you shouldn't drive with it between your legs. Murdered someone with a gun? It's the gun manufacturers fault. Your child shot up his school? It's the video game manufacturers fault. Same child sets his friend on fire? Not his fault because he saw it done on a TV show.

Most of this lies with parents. Too many parents don't discipline their children and chalk up their transgressions to "Oh, that's just what kids do". Things like little league games with no score so the "losers" don't feel bad. Guess what? In life, there are winners and there are losers and nobody ever only wins or only loses. You need to experience the good and the bad in order to know how to deal with it.

This woman was most likely one of those types of children. She obviously never thought of the consequences of any actions since mommy and daddy never showed her there were any. Obviously, reaching adulthood didn't help any.

 

Heck why shouldn't she sue the train company? Heck, our local light rail knocks off a pedestrian or two every year. These poor innocent pedestrians try to cross the tracks when the crossing guard is down, the lights are flashing and the bell is ringing. Plus they have to pass a big sign that says "Do Not Cross when train approaches"

Heck it is all the train company's fault.

Jim Henderson

 

I've hit a log truck before. Talk about fun! It's not often people get to push truck drivers around

 

> I'll never understand how anyone can get hit by a train

Well, in some parts of the country there are no lights, barriers, or warning signs at RR crossings. Though it was in MA that I saw the stupidest drivers, including trying to beat the barriers or weaving around them when they were already down or getting stuck with the barrier across the hood of their car.

Even at 10 mph a 500-600 ton train can make a big mess of things.

 

I'm with you on that one, Scott. The stories about peoples' cars stalling at precisely the same time that they are straddling the train tracks have always amazed me. I mean, how can the timing be so perfect like that, over and over again? My question is, why would anyone ever want to stop their vehicle directly on top of a set of train tracks? Is it so they can get stuck there? Like I said, I just don't get it.

I guess this case is a little different, with a foolish driver trying to beat a train to a crossing spot and losing the race. But nevertheless, we can draw parallels in terms of foolishness, IMO.

 

Plain stupidity. It can take a train up to a couple of miles to come to a complete stop. Weaving between the gates is gambling....odds are you're gonna lose.

Here's the site for Operation Lifesaver, the organization which educates the public on railroad crossing safety.

www.oli.org

In the OL library, there are some good posters and stuff. Also, you can schedule a presenter to come and talk about safety at a civic organization meeting or public gathering.

 

Speaking of trains, last summer in my home town one car purposely parked her car on the tracks to committ suicide. A few days later a guy was walking along the tracks and threw himself infront of the train. I went by a short while later on the highway and the police were out there with bags picking up the dude's body parts because he was literally in pieces. That was a freaky sight to see. Now every time a train goes through town it slows to about 5 mph, which is a pain in the butt for us people who do stop for trains.

 

Well said Willie! I have a neighbor who has a three year old girl who is totaly out of control. Her parents tell her to stop doing things and she ignores them and then they do nothing. They have "taught" her that she can get away with anything she wants to. What is she going to be like as a teenager. What's the matter with these people?

 

They dont call us 'M*******s' for nothing. I swear we have some of the worst drivers in the country. I was driving home from work the other day, and I passed a railroad crossing. Some stupid woman in a C1500 missed the train by a foot. A foot! :-staun I have to cross over some tracks to get into our familys business. The rails curve behind our building, and cut through the driveway, then across the bridge. Arent there some sort of speed limits for these trains? Ive almost been clipped twice (not from stupidity, but from loser conducters going WAY too fast). I just dont know.


Rich

 

I'm with Willie and Bubba on this one. Bubba, I got a neighbor like yours except she squirted out three incorrigible kids (brats). Yes, the mom(???) was in fact a spoiled brat herself as a kid, we all know this for a fact. It's a complete miracle that none of her kids have been flattened by a car in the streets here, they have not been told not to play in the street (2 and 4 year olds) and they seem to have not been told to look for cars before going in the street either.

I hope I'm not the one that has to look at the mess on the street and call 911 someday, but myself and my neighbors are deeply concerned about this gross lack of responsibility. Of course, God forbid if it happens, I will have no problem telling the authorities what I've seen; my neighbors will no doubt do the same. I also have some dandy pictures to share with them too.