Train kills 3 teen girls crossing Florida bridge

 Tragic. Stories like this should be posted at schools and malls and other places reminding kids of the dangers. My heart goes out to the crew on board and the families.

      Pete

Sounds like they were crossing the train bridge? They should have known that a train could come along at any time...and not to trespass. Still, it's very sad, especially that the one saw it all happen and couldn't do anything to stop it.

I too...just saw the TV report on the terrible incident with the 3 girls in Florida.

I know it is natural for a person to panic under those circumstances, but wouldn't it be worth a chance, if people caught out on a structure like that to lay down flat on the outer most edge of the ties and have some chance of the train passing without being hit by it.....

I know things drag off some RR cars, but with that being the only chance, I wonder it that might just be enough space to survive the train passing, hopefully above them....I realize it would be hard for a human to try to do that.....I'm sure the first reaction is to run, if there is to be any chance of getting out of the way at all.   But sadly, occasionally we hear of the terrible stories as this one.

It looks like that Crane Creek trestle is about 350 feet long, and it is over water all the way.

How high is it? Could they have survived jumping?

SHOULD have, COULD have, WOULD have...and if pigs had utters they would be cows...if teenagers WOULD only learn lessons from tragedies such as this one they MIGHT be less likely to have such experiences themselves...BUT they never do (I know it took me a long time to learn from a number of near tragedies, not rail related, until common sense began to win out over ignorance/stupidity in my own life).  We can only hope humanity learns lessons earlier in life as the generations pass to new ones...but I'm not holding my breath waiting.

Here is a link with video:

http://www.wftv.com/news/22622837/detail.html

It looks like the trestle is about 20 feet above the water.  If they jumped, there would have been a high probability of survival, providing that they could swim.  But walking 20 feet above the water, in the dark, they probably began the crossing with the resolve to not fall off the trestle.  It would thus be difficult to reverse that mindset despite the approach of a train.  Nobody would want to be proactive and go into the water if it turned out to have not been necessary.  So the tendency would be to just keep moving, hoping they could escape in time.  Perhaps a better alternative would be to lay down in the clear at the very edge, but they probably did not know about the clearance area.  And the possibility of escaping in time would likely seem preferable to laying down at the edge, hoping that the train would clear. 

From the look of those photos, it appears as though that was once a double track trestle.  The satellite map image looks like there is still some kind of decking, perhaps a bed of ties, where the second track was removed.  If so, the girls might have easily sought sanctuary there and cleared the train. 

wanswheel

Awful tragedy. I imagine the kids had it on their minds that a train could come and what would they do if it did. Maybe they even talked about it. Here's some pictures of the bridge and the last picture is of the train earlier in the day.

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/0/9/2/4092.1246835519.jpg

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/8/8/6/8886.1086708540.jpg

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/4/3/1/4431.1070467200.jpg

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/6/2/8/5628.1238841089.jpg

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/3/3/0/3330.1070248860.jpg

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/0/5/8/2058.1238424655.jpg

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=314884

Great Photos! Thanks for sharing! I was wondering why they cross the bridge? The guy made it first but I guess they got scared and panic. It's hard for the family and crew.

 After examination of photos and news story.

1- Girls were trespassing.

2- Paid for trespass with lives.

3- Until ALL children AND Adults stay the &^ off those bridges and other RR property, they will continue to die or maim going where they should not.

My prayers are with the train crew who must really be hurting right now.

Before you throw things at me and think me heartless, consider one stupid act I did near railroad once long ago in my youth. I have no right to survive that little episode. 2 feet between heaven or hell depending on the suspension on each rail car that passed overhead.

I've eyeballed that bridge several times while on business trips to Palm Bay- stayed at nice digs in Melbourne Beach, and had to drive through downtown Melbourne twice a day.  Even caught sight of trains crossing it a time or two, and they weren't moving slow.  My sympathies to all affected.

eolafan

if teenagers WOULD only learn lessons from tragedies such as this one they MIGHT be less likely to have such experiences themselves...BUT they never do

Bingo!

"It can't happen to ME!

But it did, and now everyone has to deal with it.   My thoughts go out to all involved.

blhanel

I've eyeballed that bridge several times while on business trips to Palm Bay- stayed at nice digs in Melbourne Beach, and had to drive through downtown Melbourne twice a day.  Even caught sight of trains crossing it a time or two, and they weren't moving slow.  My sympathies to all affected.

Usually, the FEC locomotives travel thru those areas around 50mph or more.

Didn't a school "official" remark that the bridge was a popular target for "graffiti artists"?  Does the UFT/NEA condone tha activities of "taggers", so that the little darlings can maintain their self-esteem?  From the looks of your pictures, this was not a first incidence of trespassing, by far.  The LEAs were "asleep-at-the-switch", methinks.  Guess they'll BOLO for a while....  Darn!  I'd jump off that bridge, no qualms!  Don't say that Florida girls can't swim!

Hays

BNSFwatcher

Darn!  I'd jump off that bridge, no qualms!

Twenty feet looks like a formidable height from the top.  It is dark and the water is cold.  The depth of the water is unknown.  Say you’re 50 feet from the end of the bridge, and a train approaches the other end about 400 feet away.  Would you jump off the bridge or would you try to run those 50 feet to safety?

Maybe these bridges could be modified a little  by building them (or retrofitting older ones) with a catwalk that could be used for service personnel as well as pedestrians who are caught on the bridge. Surely such a catwalk would have saved the lives of these children as they would have walked along that instead of on the right of way directly. Yes, we all know that it is illegal and iresponsible to trespass...but it will continue to happen and kids will continue to pay with their lives unless these structures are modified somewhat to allow people. I hate to say it...but there should be a law that requires bridges to have catwalks. Hey..what would happen if train crew members or passengers had an emergency on that bridge? There would be no way to evacuate..

eolafan

...BUT they never do (I know it took me a long time to learn from a number of near tragedies, not rail related, until common sense began to win out over ignorance/stupidity in my own life).  We can only hope humanity learns lessons earlier in life as the generations pass to new ones...but I'm not holding my breath waiting.

Not to turn this into a science thread, but studies have shown that in most people the part of the brain responsible for risk/fear does not fully develop until ones early to mid twenties. Explains a lot of the risks we took as youth--and why youth continue to repeat the mistakes/risks of others.

Sometimes there are factors at play other than the testosterone or adrenaline rush. 

 Jay

Ulrich

Maybe these bridges could be modified a little  by building them (or retrofitting older ones) with a catwalk that could be used for service personnel as well as pedestrians who are caught on the bridge. Surely such a catwalk would have saved the lives of these children as they would have walked along that instead of on the right of way directly. Yes, we all know that it is illegal and iresponsible to trespass...but it will continue to happen and kids will continue to pay with their lives unless these structures are modified somewhat to allow people. I hate to say it...but there should be a law that requires bridges to have catwalks. Hey..what would happen if train crew members or passengers had an emergency on that bridge? There would be no way to evacuate..

Geez cry me a river, while we are at it why not set up a concession stand in the middle of the bridge so we can serve tea, soda, beer , snacks and have a lounge area so they can sit and enjoy the view.  they was treaspassing and the ultimate happened. to build a walkway is just as easy as saying hey if you get caught out on the bridge just stand to the side. and its ok to be out there. they wouldnt have gave us a walk way to be safe if it wasnt ok.  Or better yet look at it this way for Decades i was told not to treaspass on the railroad and for decades I have been told and been telling people to not race trains at crossing, and for decades we have been killing people who do just what we been preaching not to do.  So cry your tears of JOY,HATE or SORRY and move on.

What if the crew had a emergency well if train is in emergency they walk as far as they can and then try and pull what they can, if it wont budge then if a railroad personel has walked the back half and nothing is wrong the conductor belly crawls under his train til he finds the problem fixes it and gets back out of the bridge,

The problem with a catwalk is that it condones the trespassing, and that is the root cause of this tragidy, if they had simply stayed off the bridge they would still be alive. If this was a double track bridge at one time and now a single track, the other ROW trackage could be modified into a bikepath bridge but that would have to be done thru agreememnt with the local community and the railroad, and their are not many examples of this being done as no RR wants the possible liability of a bikepath/ walkway right next to their active tracks.

Awesome!

Usually, the FEC locomotives travel thru those areas around 50mph or more.

Track speed across Crane Creek is 40 MPH. What I find hard to swallow about all this is that there is 0.62 mile of tangency leading to the bridge abutment from the north and eight grade crossings Train 101 would have to blow for between the curve where they'd be out of sight and the bridge. How those kids couldn't know that a train was coming until it was right on top of them is beyond me. As tragic as this event is for everyone, it's hardly anything unusual and really comes as no surprise to those of us who live(d) in Florida's east coast cities. We're all too familiar with train/pedestrian incursions, many of which result in immediate death. 

vsmith

The problem with a catwalk is that it condones the trespassing, and that is the root cause of this tragidy, if they had simply stayed off the bridge they would still be alive. If this was a double track bridge at one time and now a single track, the other ROW trackage could be modified into a bikepath bridge but that would have to be done thru agreememnt with the local community and the railroad, and their are not many examples of this being done as no RR wants the possible liability of a bikepath/ walkway right next to their active tracks.

It is a double track bridge with one active track, and a second track with the rails removed, but most of the ties are still in place.  There is a gap, however, between the two track decks.  But it does not look like it would be too difficult to jump across the gap.  There is photo showing the double track bridge deck in this link:

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/train-kills-3-teen-318663.html

I expect that there will soon be a lawsuit against the FEC alleging that the bridge was an unsafe, attractive nuisance, and that the FEC was aware of the fact that people routinely walked across the bridge.  

No liability if the law requires it.. Sure..more pedestrians might use the bridge...but none would get hit by trains...so you one might have alot of people using the bridge safely instead of a few who run the risk of getting hit or falling off. The catwalk wouldn't be a foolproof solution of course...because fools are so ingenious especially when it comes to their own demise. As it is..it wouldn't take a very good lawyer to credibly argue that FEC negligent and is at least in part responsible for their deaths..

Why didnt the kids hear the train?

My guess is IPod.

Ed

....Could a "catwalk" with railings, be constructed on {any} RR bridge be labled as "No tresspasing" and have signage indicating: "For RR employes only, others will be prosecuted, etc..."....be done in such a way to make the RR free of a lawsuit if any person not associated with that RR did use it and possibly be injured being on it.

Hence, if then when some tresspasser in the future might be on the bridge and tracks, and find himself in trouble, they could jump over to the catwalk and avoid being hit....saving his or their lives....

I suppose it can be agreed young people {and others}, will continue to tresspass on such structures, and the available catwalk could save their life / lives.

Perhaps this sounds like encouraging people to cross the bridge.....I don't know....But wouldn't it have a real possibility of preventing those {who seemingly can't be kept off such structures}, from being hit, hence saving lives and the RR's money from resulting lawsuits, etc....