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BNSF Roadmaster Killed & Cell Phone Distraction
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<p>[quote user="edblysard"]</p> <p>The no horn rule has a clause that states the engineer can/ should sound his horn if he feels a imminent danger exists...and the sounding of several rapid horn toots is the correct signal to alert people on the ground to an approaching train, and as a general warning of danger.</p> <p>So both reports may be somewhat correct, if not entirely accurate.</p> <p>He may not have sounded his horn in the traditional crossing sequence, but he may have given several rapid toots....given the quality of most newspaper and TV reports on train accidents, it is entirely feasible that none of the reporters are aware of the entire rule, its use, and its intent.</p> <p>As for him standing next to a running locomotive, I personally have found it almost impossible to have a radio conversation when next to a running motor, much less a cell phone conversation...cell phones pick up a tremendous amount of background noise....and being next to a running locomotive makes it very, very hard to hear approaching trains, this too from personal experience.</p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p>[/quote]</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Well I think both reports are accurate as far as they go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is just that one of them does not go far enough, and thus implies the opposite of what actually happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t see anything that looks like the news media getting their facts messed up as they often do with railroad reporting or why it would matter how much the media understands the cell phone rule or the horn rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The report that did not go far enough clearly implied that the victim did not hear the approaching train because it did not blow the horn because of the no-horn zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that report, there was no cell phone, and no horn to warn the victim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Now it is true that there was a no-horn zone, and also true that the train did not blow for the nearby crossing because of that no-horn zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the engineer did blow the horn right there, perhaps right on that nearby grade crossing; for the specific purpose of warning the personnel of the test train. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The reports that mention the engineer blowing the horn said that he did not blow for the crossing because of the no-horn rule, but that he did blow a succession of horn toots as a warning to the test train despite it being a no-horn zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they also said that the victim apparently did not hear the warning because of being on the cell phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t see anything wrong with that report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Of course the cell phone can produce audible interference with ambient sound just like an I-pod.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it can produce outright distraction, thus taking attention off of ambient sounds that would otherwise still be audible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even with a loss of audible warning, an employee is supposed to expect trains on any track at any time, and act accordingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would say that would require looking for trains as well as listening for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
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