Trains.com

Train vs Pedestrian, LaGrange, IL

4328 views
9 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    August 2002
  • From: Along the BNSF "East End"... :-)
  • 915 posts
Train vs Pedestrian, LaGrange, IL
Posted by TimChgo9 on Monday, August 20, 2007 5:10 PM

On the BNSF happened this afternoon, reported this afternoon about 5:00 on WLS-AM89. Condition of the pedestrian wasn't reported

Apparently it was a Pedestrian vs Metra train at the LaGrange Rd. station.

It never stops, does it?

"Chairman of the Awkward Squad" "We live in an amazing, amazing world that is just wasted on the biggest generation of spoiled idiots." Flashing red lights are a warning.....heed it. " I don't give a hoot about what people have to say, I'm laughing as I'm analyzed" What if the "hokey pokey" is what it's all about?? View photos at: http://www.eyefetch.com/profile.aspx?user=timChgo9
  • Member since
    November 2004
  • From: On Track LaGrange IL.
  • 171 posts
Posted by RABEL on Monday, August 20, 2007 6:37 PM
 TimChgo9 wrote:

On the BNSF happened this afternoon, reported this afternoon about 5:00 on WLS-AM89. Condition of the pedestrian wasn't reported

Apparently it was a Pedestrian vs Metra train at the LaGrange Rd. station.

It never stops, does it?

Sure don't. I spend a lot of time in the area,LaGrange or Stone Av. the stupidity and carelessness by folks never ceases to amaze me. My 5yr old Grandson constantly reprimands

the fool hardy at those two stations.

  • Member since
    June 2001
  • From: Lombard (west of Chicago), Illinois
  • 13,681 posts
Posted by CShaveRR on Monday, August 20, 2007 6:44 PM

Channel 5 reported that it was a fatality.

Of course, they also said that this was Metra service on the "Northern & Santa Fe", between Chicago and Joliet.

Two reasons to shake one's head.

Carl

Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)

CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

  • Member since
    August 2002
  • From: Along the BNSF "East End"... :-)
  • 915 posts
Posted by TimChgo9 on Monday, August 20, 2007 9:33 PM

I was at Joliet tonight... busy as heck, a freight train every 10-12 minutes, I kid you not. 

The people getting off the Metra trains paid little attention to the trains coming through the station. One of these days, it's going to happen at Union Station.  In fact, after the last train on the Heritage Corridor had discharged all of it's passengers, the engineer looked around blew the horn and began to roll, just then, a man bolted around the front of the engine just as it began to roll, he was yapping on his cell phone as he did that.  The engineer leaned out of his cab as the guy ran in front.....not sure if he yelled at him or not....

It's stupidity of the most frightening kind....

"Chairman of the Awkward Squad" "We live in an amazing, amazing world that is just wasted on the biggest generation of spoiled idiots." Flashing red lights are a warning.....heed it. " I don't give a hoot about what people have to say, I'm laughing as I'm analyzed" What if the "hokey pokey" is what it's all about?? View photos at: http://www.eyefetch.com/profile.aspx?user=timChgo9
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Over yonder by the roundhouse
  • 1,224 posts
Posted by route_rock on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 1:11 PM

  When running over the transcon one night we had to wait for a Metra to unload by the ball diamond, and one at the depot. We get the green light and off we go and lo and behold here come the idiot brigade crossing all the tracks from the station to UD! Not talking about one or two I am talking a herd of Darwin canidates.

  Too bad about up in Lagrange. Hope the crew is all doing well in this.

Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train

  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Iowa
  • 3,293 posts
Posted by Semper Vaporo on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 1:53 PM

Might it help if two horns were mounted about 4 ft above the railhead, one on each side of the front of the lead locomotive?

To be a bit vindictive... how about water jets at about the 7 ft level, aimed toward the center of the track about 10 ft in front of the locomotive?  Not strong enough to knock anybody down, but enough water to get their attention. 

To be even more vindictive... how about putting purple dye in the water?

 

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

  • Member since
    September 2002
  • From: West end of Chicago's Famous Racetrack
  • 2,239 posts
Posted by Poppa_Zit on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 2:55 PM

While some people may be distracted or simply not paying attention, won't there always be an element that thinks things like this "always happen to someone else, but not me"?

Personally, I don't think any changes in procedure will prevent people from exercising their Right To Be Stupid. And people will always use trains as a suicide method, too. Ironic how few people elect to depart this world by stepping in front of a truck or bus.

There was another fatality near Fox River Grove last week on the UP -- no one saw what happened, but they found the body of a 47-year-old McHenry man on the tracks -- cut in half. No freight or Metra train reported hitting anyone, so this one's a mystery.  

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. They are not entitled, however, to their own facts." No we can't. Charter Member J-CASS (Jaded Cynical Ascerbic Sarcastic Skeptics) Notary Sojac & Retired Foo Fighter "Where there's foo, there's fire."
  • Member since
    August 2002
  • From: Along the BNSF "East End"... :-)
  • 915 posts
Posted by TimChgo9 on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 3:09 PM

I don't know Poppa..

I think alot of people just regard trains with contempt.  To some, they are "time wasters" and "useless" and an "inconvenience" that they would rather not deal with.  As I posted earlier in another thread. I watched a herd of Metra passengers cross in front of a BNSF container train. The engineer was blowing his horn, and what not, and the people regarded the train with a look of bored indifference. kind of like a "You wouldn't dare hit me" attitude.  They all strolled acro

The thing is, it seems people just never seem to learn. Are we so caught up in ourselves, that we just don't pay attention what is going on around us??   I don't know. 

 

"Chairman of the Awkward Squad" "We live in an amazing, amazing world that is just wasted on the biggest generation of spoiled idiots." Flashing red lights are a warning.....heed it. " I don't give a hoot about what people have to say, I'm laughing as I'm analyzed" What if the "hokey pokey" is what it's all about?? View photos at: http://www.eyefetch.com/profile.aspx?user=timChgo9
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Mainline, USA
  • 157 posts
Posted by Steam Is King on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 3:17 PM

i would like to think most of us here are smart enough to know better. But like in that trespassing post rail gfans needto know girder bridges can be dangerous to be on when a train is passing because of tight clearances. Rember the Chicagio under cover officer a few years ago who was on an el bridge watching drug dealers;? He didn't realize how little room there was between the bruidge rail and passing train, and wehn a train approached he tried to press i=himself aginst the bridge rail toget out of the way. He was crusched to death by the speeding train cars.

Chico 

I love the smell of coal smoke in the morning! I am allergic to people who think they are funny, but are not. No, we can't. Or shouldn't, anyway.
  • Member since
    September 2002
  • From: West end of Chicago's Famous Racetrack
  • 2,239 posts
Posted by Poppa_Zit on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 2:06 AM

An update:

"The death of a Northlake man fatally struck by a Metra train Monday near the La Grange station has been ruled an accident, the Cook County medical examiner's office said Tuesday.

Trains between Union Station in Chicago and Aurora ran on their normal schedule Tuesday after cancellations and delays of up to an hour followed the incident Monday, said Patrick Waldron, a Metra spokesman.

The Cook County medical examiner's office identified the man as Jesus Cabral, 57.

Metra's Burlington Northern Santa Fe line train No. 43 hit Cabral about 4:15 p.m., officials said."

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. They are not entitled, however, to their own facts." No we can't. Charter Member J-CASS (Jaded Cynical Ascerbic Sarcastic Skeptics) Notary Sojac & Retired Foo Fighter "Where there's foo, there's fire."

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy