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Hey! Before we can "Stay Frosty", we need to GET frosty. All the guy asked for was that someone take responsibility for removing a public hazard. That action will benefit us all. But why the heck is it so hard to get the land owners (the rr) or the highway dept. to keep the land clear of obstructions to the view? My city even makes me maintain the view of the road from my own driveway. Yes I know that most accidents are caused by stupid irresponsible people. But so what. Speaking as a professional signal engineer who's job it is to try to prevent even smart people from having accidents, there is no excuse for anyone to maintain a public hazard when it can be prevented. IT CAN BE PREVENTED! And why would anyone object to that being done - especially someone who has experienced the pain you have and knows the horible consequence of doing nothing. And by the way, no one can really help you overcome pain except someone else who also "Knew" it themselves. I have a number of friends who's train HAS hit someone. One hit a little 7 year old retarded boy who got on the tracks through a hole in the fence - put there by local youth gangs! Of course management just callously hauled him off to the company doctor - balling his head off - to pee in a bottle! He should've sued the discusting cretens (the boss and the railroad - and the gang members), but didn't. The man took seven months on mental disability before he could come back to work! The stress almost destroyed his marriage. Still I could not help him in anyway except to keep reminding him he was innocent of any fault and blameless before God. I never realized that such "intellectualizing" may be well-meaning but essentially useless, until I witnessed a grade crossing death myself. Even though, as a signal engineer, I take great pride in my work and "intellectually" beleave it saves many lives - it all came to naught when an old man (a pedestrian) was killed by an Amtrak train through no fault of his own - even while the grade crossing signals were blaring and flashing away. The man had just cleared the tracks when the signals started. But a woman who had just passed him walking the other-way turned and started yelling and screamming at him. She then picked up a rock and threw it at him, whereupon his leashed dog lunged out at her - Yanking him into the path the Amtrak, killing him. She skipped out of course. Though I told the police which path she took into the park, I don't believe they ever found her. The police did treat it as a crime scene though, since her assault resulted in his death. It never mattered who's fault it was, or that it was treated as a murder, or that I was really just a bystander. IT HURT for a long time. Still does! Though I make my living installing railroad signals, I have concluded that the only sure method of preventing such tradegies is to eliminate all grade crossings, fence the right of way, and patrol the fence DAILY. SO WHY CAN'T THIS HAPPEN! Having pushed for this a long time now at the professional level - I am very discouraged. I can assure you; it is all about money and nothing but money. Neither the railroad nor the stupid highway designers nor the beholden politians will part with any of it willingly. It's money for lives! Its that simple. I know the ignorance you see from the train is horrifying, but you should blame these guys who ARE smart enough to know better but don't care. That's why the constant lawsuits - society is blaming them more. By the way, I once had an auto accident that my insurance company said was caused by an improper highway design and not in any way my fault. They successfully sued the state, got their money back and got the highway fixed. At this point, I say until public hazards are eliminated, let the lawyers duke it out. Maybe it will help. Since no one is willing to take responsibilty for removing the hazard that any access across railroad tracks presents to the public, all working railroaders must unite with an angry public, AND DEMAND IT! And keep kicking out the d&%@ politians until they listen. If they do ever heed the demand to eliminate grade crossings and put up fencing - you won't have to endure this horror again. D.R.I.P. on 'em! "Don't Return Incumbent Politicians" until they heed the demand. RmC
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