Man struck by train in Harrisburg, PA

[88gta350]

Here's a short article about a man that was struck and killed by a train in Harrisburg, PA last night. The radio this morning said they believe the man was homeless and may have passed out on the tracks. The article says he was sleeping. We'll probably never know.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/east/index.ssf?/base/news/1094635327253230.xml

[Willy2]

I'm very sorry to hear about this. I never like to hear about things like that.

[mudchicken]

That's at least 4 in PA hit by NS in the last month or so, including the Chambersburg, PA surveyor......NS has got to be a might bit annoyed....

[JoeKoh]

Our Prayers go to the mans family and to the traincrews too.
stay safe
Joe

[Junctionfan]

Best wishes to the family of the man. I feel also sorry for the poor crew who was in the train.

I don't know how NS will address the problem. I think NS and Operation Lifesaver is going to have to investigate whether they can do something about that area or not.

[cherokee woman]

I am truly sorry to read that. My sympathies go to the man's family, and to the train crew and
their families. They will all be in my prayers.

[Anonymous]

I saw this a few hours ago, I'll be praying for the family and train crew, for those interested the train sybol was 21Z.

[Junctionfan]

Is 21Z an intermodal?

[Anonymous]

yeah---shame

[88gta350]

I'm not sure what NS could do to prevent future occurances. The tracks are in very accesible locations, and often times in "bad" parts of the town, as I'm sure is the case with any city that a railroad runs through. Perhaps they could try to enlist the help of local law enforcement to increase patrols of railroad right of way looking for and discouraging tresspassers. I know NS doesn't have enough of its own police to do this.

[Anonymous]

That's why the RR's post............ NO TRESSPASING!

[DTomajko]

There have been many trespasser injuries and fatilities all along Norfolk Southern's PRR mainline in the past decade. Three teenagers in a car abandoned by the driver in Derry,PA. The elderly woman with groceries in Jeannette. The man who stepped in front of 24M in East Pittsburgh last year. The passed out college student in Greensburg. The woman walking along & on the tracks in Derry earlier this year. I think 21Z also hit another person near Irwin late last year. It seems for most of these people, the convenience of a quick route home overrules any hope of common sense being applied. Of course , none of these people ever made it home again. I can only offer condolences to the families left behind and hope that the crews can find peace with events beyond their control. There is also hope that others will learn from these events but the realist in me doubts it. There will be other fatalities, the media may make a fuss, everyone will be sorry, and the trains will roll on until the next one. Good luck and stay safe.

[Randy Stahl]

I hear of people falling asleep on RR tracks quite a bit, I have seen the grusome results too.
Am I missing something ? Should I build a set of RR tracks in my house and forgo sleeping in a bed? are RR tracks theraputic ? They don't look that great to me ! I know of at least one deceased fellow who lay down on the tracks next door to a nice field of grass, I know which one I would pick.
Randy

[SALfan]

My sympathies to the poor crew who had to go thru hitting someone. As for the person hit, well, that's his entry in the Darwin Award competition.

[BaltACD]

The filtering of the Gene Pool is traumatic experience for those required to be the filter material. My sympathies to the crew. As a professional railroader I get tired of rail movments killing people, however, for whatever reasons numbers of people pick the railroads to be their personal executioner. Gruesome - Yes....Unfortunately it is reality. The experience to attain years of life living in proximity to a railroad enviornment impart the danger associated with rail property. Those that tresspass upon active railroad rights of way, and wake up dead, deserve their death. For those tresspassers I have no sympathy.

[gabe]

I am very sympathetic to the experiences of trian crews that have to undergo such horrible experiences. However, especially in circumstances where it is not apparent that the victim was selfishly using the train crew to end his or her life: De mortuis nil nisis bene!

Words to live by.

Gabe

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan

Is 21Z an intermodal?

Yep, Rutherford (Harrisburg) to Chicago intermodal.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by DTomajko

There have been many trespasser injuries and fatilities all along Norfolk Southern's PRR mainline in the past decade. Three teenagers in a car abandoned by the driver in Derry,PA. The elderly woman with groceries in Jeannette. The man who stepped in front of 24M in East Pittsburgh last year. The passed out college student in Greensburg. The woman walking along & on the tracks in Derry earlier this year. I think 21Z also hit another person near Irwin late last year. It seems for most of these people, the convenience of a quick route home overrules any hope of common sense being applied. Of course , none of these people ever made it home again. I can only offer condolences to the families left behind and hope that the crews can find peace with events beyond their control. There is also hope that others will learn from these events but the realist in me doubts it. There will be other fatalities, the media may make a fuss, everyone will be sorry, and the trains will roll on until the next one. Good luck and stay safe.

We've had our fair share of fatilities on the Harrisburg, Reading, and Lehigh Lines around here too.

[Junctionfan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dougal

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan

Is 21Z an intermodal?

Yep, Rutherford (Harrisburg) to Chicago intermodal.

COFC, TOFC or Triple Crown?

[Anonymous]

Stacks and or TOFC.

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Randy Stahl

I hear of people falling asleep on RR tracks quite a bit, I have seen the grusome results too.
Am I missing something ? Should I build a set of RR tracks in my house and forgo sleeping in a bed? are RR tracks theraputic ? They don't look that great to me ! I know of at least one deceased fellow who lay down on the tracks next door to a nice field of grass, I know which one I would pick.
Randy

I was just thinking the other day....hmm that welded rail and creosote soaked tie sweating in the sun sure looks like a good place for a nap.

[Anonymous]

With great sadness I must report that two 13 year old girls committed suicide in front of a NS train out here just east of Knox, Indiana on the former Nickle Plate main line. It was 3 am when the two girls, in a suicide pact, held hands and stepped in front of the train. They had been harassed in school for some time. Worse yet, I do artwork for one of the girls' fathers. It effected our entire town. Metra has just started running a good ad about railroad safety, and the dangeers of using railroads as shortcuts. But as long as TV and movie show people walking down a set of tracks, and people don't think trains are going to run when they're "using" the tracks, this will continue.
Mitch