Filming incident leads to fatality

[BaltACD]

Another 'filming' incident has lead to a fatality.

http://news.yahoo.com/fitness-model-struck-killed-train-181338644.html

 

[samfp1943]

BaltACD

Another 'filming' incident has lead to a fatality.

http://news.yahoo.com/fitness-model-struck-killed-train-181338644.html

 

 

What a waste!  I guess will have to have more of the circumstances behing and what was occuring to make any kind of judgement.

   Tresspassing, crtainly seems that way... Why do these incidents seem to be so prevalent out in California? It seems that the MetroLink ROWs are fenced and seem to be evident that their purpose is for fast train movement (?).  Is it that they do not provide protected pedestrian crossings?

  Five years in the US Army, and a graduate of West Point (Officer(?), would certainly put this man in a pretty intelligent catagory. The rest of the story will have some interest on these Forums.

 

[mudchicken]

I've an ugly suspicion about the producers/ site team calling the shots. Railroads in the LA Basin have long had issues with the film, media and arts people. (I feel for the one or two people on the MetroLink front end.) I can wait until more is developed - usually isn't an individual decision, but rather a sad chain of bad calls.

[tomikawaTT]

Just looked at a bit of coverage from the LA NBC affiliate.

Apparently working out on railroad tracks was one of the victim's trademark moves.  They showed clips taken, "Over a year ago," (and on different days, judging by cloud coverage) showing him doing pushups and curls between the rails in different locations.

If you keep tempting fate, sooner or later it's going to yield to temptation.  In this case, man of flesh did NOT trump train of steel.

My sympathy to the train crew and the first responders who had to scrape up the pieces.  I sure hope the folks who called him a role model (in the comments) will keep up with the exercises but stick to safer venues.

Chuck

[rjemery]

How could Plitt not know a train was approaching? Did he think he was on an unused side track?

[ChuckCobleigh]

rjemery

How could Plitt not know a train was approaching? Did he think he was on an unused side track?

Back to basics: expect a train at any time on any track and plan accordingly, i.e., stay out of danger to begin with or you might be giving train crew and first responders some really bad dreams for quite a while.

 

[tree68]

rjemery

How could Plitt not know a train was approaching? Did he think he was on an unused side track?

Like the woman referenced in my thread about a local woman walking on the tracks, he'd done so before with impugnity, and thus apparently thought he was immune from the rules this time, too.  

Unfortunately, it caught up with him.

[vsmith]

I was in a parking lot next to the Metrolink's tracks in Burbank, when the train comes thru its often going 50-60mph and can be on you much quicker than you realize. That makes it all the more important to stay the hell off the tracks. In the past Metrolink had a problem with joggers wearing headphones getting smacked but it had dropped off in recent years, sad to see this new trend of filming illegally on the tracks.

[Euclid]

This is my speculation:

They wanted an edgy shot that conveyed a sense of an invincible man, and they chose a train to portray a threat against which to contrast the invincible man.  By shooting low, crosswise to a double track, the fact of double track is not visible.  All that could be seen was the first track. 

So the subject could stand on the clear track, and as the train approached, it would appear to be on course to strike the subject.  This was to convey the symbol of invincibility.  The viewer would assume that the train would hit the subject right up to the last split second.  Only when the train passed the subject, would it become apparent that the train was on a second track. 

The subject and his people believed in this plan.  They were confident that it would work well.  They were distracted from the approaching train by watching the subject though their view finders.  The subject could not look at the approaching train because he was to be invincible.  Invincible people don’t worry about danger.

Unfortunately, the train was not on the track that they expected it to be on. 

[vsmith]

One TV interview with a witness said it appeared that he was trying to film himself jogging along side the train as it passed with a handheld camera, something he's done in past videos, but stumbled as he ran and the train hit him spinning him off to the side. The police apparently have not only his camera but also the cab camera from Metrolink, so it should be pretty certain what actually happened.

[ACY Tom]

.....So, Euclid, tell me more about this "invincible man".

Tom

[Euclid]

ACY

.....So, Euclid, tell me more about this "invincible man".

Tom

 

 

Here is the invincible man explaining the whole thing in his own words:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbroYhaTEK8

 

[rjemery]

Euclid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbroYhaTEK8

 

That workout video seems to have been filmed in the same area where he ostensibly died.  I recognize the signal tower about 1/4 mile NW of the Magnolia Blvd. overpass, adjacent to I-5.

The details of the accident that have emerged thus far still make little sense. 

His penchant for working out on live railroad tracks clearly demonstrates stupidity.  But he was absolutely right about one thing -- you only live once.

[zugmann]

rjemery

But he was absolutely right about one thing -- you only live once.

 

And if you play around live tracks -- you only live shortly.

[D.Carleton]

The railroads deal with countless 'wrongful death' cases every year and usually settle to save the money from protracted litigation. (The ambulance chasers know this.) They need to pick a high profile case and take it to the limit even if it costs more money just to make a high profile point. In this case it is a state agency so any judgement will be limited by law.

[BastaTim]

He was killed near the 400 to 700 block of N. Front St, Burbank California.

[Firelock76]

I watched the video.  He strikes me as an adrenaline junkie who went to the edge just one time too many.

It's a shame.

[CSX4Me]

People and trains have been together for some time now. No matter how much safety is preached, there is always someone that thinks and/or believes that they are above it all. No one ever wins when tempting fate. Especially with something that weighs millions of tons and cannot stop on a dime. Only fools tempt fate and this fellow should have known better then to mess with a train.

[BaltACD]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/01/20/greg-plitt-did-not-have-permit-to-film-on-track-where-killed-friend-says/22038309/

Plitt did not have permission to be on property.

 

[mudchicken]

BaltACD

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/01/20/greg-plitt-did-not-have-permit-to-film-on-track-where-killed-friend-says/22038309/

Plitt did not have permission to be on property.

 

 

Now you've gone and done it - the apologists will be coming out of the woodwork now.

[wanswheel]

I never heard of him, but it seems he was somewhat famous before he chose West Point:

The Baltimore Sun, January 25, 1996

Gilman's Growing Boy Flexing Muscles

Two years ago, Gregg Plitt wrestled at 145 pounds. Now he's ranked No. 1 in Maryland at 189.

By Lem Satterfield

Gilman wrestling coach Mark Harbold is a former Indiana state runner-up and was fourth in his conference at 134 pounds at Cornell University.

Three years ago, when Greg Plitt was a 130-pound freshman junior league state champ with a 36-0 record, Harbold, 35, might have been more than a match for the youngster.

But now, said Harbold, "I only go after him toward the end of practice, and then usually on takedowns."

The 6-foot-1 Plitt (14-0, nine pins) has grown into the Maryland State Wrestling Association's top-ranked 189-pounder. Plitt, who now sports broad shoulders and bulging biceps capable of bench-pressing 265 pounds, routinely goes through three and four practice partners in an afternoon.

"He's a very big boy, and other than [assistant coach] Rob Newsome, who weighs about 240, no one in the room can really challenge him," said Harbold, in his first season at No. 3 Gilman.

"Coming into 189, he's got the style of a lighter guy, which gives him an advantage. But he can also be a real beast and just crush you."

Plitt already has won tournaments at Annapolis and McDonogh, in the latter earning a 2-0 victory over All-Metro and defending 3A-4A state champ Joon Kim (Centennial). It was that win that enabled Plitt to take the state's top ranking.

"Beating Kim, I felt like I was the best, but I knew that would be a temporary feeling," said Plitt, who credits weightlifting and starting his own landscaping business last summer with helping to hone his legs. "I knew the next day that I'd have other guys coming after me the same way I went after Kim. You have to be ready, because it never ends."

It's hard to believe that just two years ago, Plitt was nearly 60 pounds lighter. He wrestled at 145 pounds during a sophomore season that was shortened by an injury to his scapula.

As a 171-pound junior, Plitt went 26-5, placing second in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association, third in the private schools state tournament, and fifth in the National Preps tournament.

Three of last year's losses were against McDonogh's state runner-up and National Prep runner-up Martius Harding, now a 177-pounder at the University of Virginia. And two of Plitt's wins last year -- one via the pin route-- were against John Carroll's Mike Babiak, who is unbeaten and ranked No. 4 at 189.

Plitt is known for wearing down opponents with his leg riding, a grinding technique that combines finesse, power and leverage. To keep opponents on the mat, or in the bottom referee's position, Plitt employs his legs to tie up his opponents' legs while his hands are free to work for the fall.

The technique is infrequently used among large wrestlers, who more often rely on explosiveness and power than on flexibility and balance.

Harbold said Plitt "likes winning, and he's into the physical aspect of everything -- weightlifting, wrestling," traits beneficial to military types. Which raises the issue of Plitt's future goal: to attend the U.S. Naval Academy.

"I want to be the best that I can be," said Plitt, who carries a 3.9 grade average at Gilman and has scored 1,090 on the Scholastic Assessment Test. "Eventually, I want to be a Navy Seal, and I've talked to a few of them.

"They say the mind is stronger than the body, and that's what I'm working toward. Being No. 1 in the state only goes as far as your next win. I want to be No. 1 in the mind, win or lose."

Plitt calls himself "his own worst enemy." Harbold says he "sometimes goes into a match wrestling like the smaller guy."

In the bout with Kim, "I was hesitant in spots," Plitt said. "Coach thinks I beat myself down too much. I guess it's because I'm still getting used to being this big."

[vsmith]

Seem appropriate...

[Andrew Falconer]

He most likely thought he was so strong that he was just like a Superhero with special powers.

[rdamon]

Exhibit A will be the 2:47 mark in that video.

 

So much for cross-tie fit catching on.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

BaltACD

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/01/20/greg-plitt-did-not-have-permit-to-film-on-track-where-killed-friend-says/22038309/

Plitt did not have permission to be on property. 

From this linked article - 3rd para. from the end:

"He confirmed that Plitt was with a crew of two when the train's engineer blew the horn and applied the emergency breaks."

There's an opportunity for some minor sarcasm or snarkiness here - the writer (and editor) used "breaks", not "brakes" - but it's not worth the effort.

- Paul North. 

[selector]

Self-promotion and narcissism are evident in the night video.  Together, they clouded his judgement.

[ChuckCobleigh]

Paul_D_North_Jr

There's an opportunity for some minor sarcasm or snarkiness here - the writer (and editor) used "breaks", not "brakes" - but it's not worth the effort.

Maybe the editor/writer had a non-working "Spell Czech" too.  (Yes, I recognize that neither "Spell Czech" nor "Spell Check" would have caught it, but I couldn't resist the local interest comment.)

[Deggesty]

ChuckCobleigh

 

Paul_D_North_Jr

There's an opportunity for some minor sarcasm or snarkiness here - the writer (and editor) used "breaks", not "brakes" - but it's not worth the effort.

 

 

Maybe the editor/writer had a non-working "Spell Czech" too.  (Yes, I recognize that neither "Spell Czech" nor "Spell Check" would have caught it, but I couldn't resist the local interest comment.)

 

No, no "Spell Check" would have caught the error, unless it had been programmed with context usage in it, since "break" is a good spelling if "coming apart" is meant.