I don't often look at - let alone post - these kinds of things, because sadly they're pretty common, and there's usually not much newsworthy or worth our time, except for the families and acquaintances of those involved. And if you're really interested (for non-morbid reasons), there are numerous other ways to find out about them.
That said, however, below is one of the comments that was posted to this report. I thought it was original and insightful enough to be worth posting in its entirety here (with just a little punctuation added or modified) for this audience, which will likely appreciate the deeper nuance:
"Stop - Look -Listen.If you see the tracks, you know a train is coming - you just never know when, now DO you?Stop - Look - Listen."
Reminds me kind of "The Judgment Day is coming, you just never know the hour and day you'll be called" line of preaching.
A few more details: 1:09 AM today, he was the only one in the car, another newspaper reports he went around the lowered gates at this crossing (also has flashing lights, of course). Short article at:
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-news-train-fatal-020609-cn,0,1578745.story
I know this crossing, and it has a wonderfully wide-open view of the tracks to the east - you can easily see a westbound train for at least a mile before it gets there. There's another protected crossing a block to the east = before this one, so there had to have been a lot of lights flashing around there at that hour - not that it mattered. What a waste, and a tragedy.
- Paul North.
Having read the entire string of commentary, it's interesting to note that a member of the driver's family actually admitted that he'd made a stupid mistake. (I think I just heard a bovine request landing instructions at McCarran!)
Since I wasn't in the driver's mind, I have no idea why he drove around the gates. Maybe he was suicidal. Maybe he thought the train would stop like a highway vehicle. Maybe he just wasn't thinking. In any event, he paid the ultimate penalty for his lack of situational awareness. My sympathy to his family, the emergency responders who had to clean up the mess, the train's engineer and any innocent bystanders.
Chuck
If someone is going to drive around the lowered gates, they just aren't going to wait for the train. It was pointed out that there is good visibility at this crossing, but unfortunately some people are going to do something like this no matter what. And in the case of this poor soul, won't get a chance to make that mistake, or correct it the next time, again.
I'll quote a BN-Metra engineer on this one." A motorist will set at a stop light for two minutes or more but to sit at a railroad crossind for 1-2 minutes for a train to go by ... nahh." The fact of the matter is people who run around the gates just don't get the fact that a 20,000 ton train CAN'T STOP ON A DIME! It was, of course, very stupid for this person to do this because as you said you can see the train comming for a mile at least. What silly people you here about in this country anymore.
The road to to success is always under construction. _____________________________________________________________________________ When the going gets tough, the tough use duct tape.
I say this.
Train big. Car small. You must stop, look and listen.
If not? You. Lose. And the world will roll on without you.
We had a couple of drunkards high center thier vehicle after botching a rail crossing some time ago. They fled but got caught after the vehicle was destroyed. Now maybe after they finish paying thier punishment, they are able to walk wherever they can on the sidewalk and live a nice long sober life.
But my feeling is that they will get another car, drink and get high centered again in the future. What a waste. I have no more feeling for those people who go around gates anymore. None. Except to worry about the train crew and LEO's as well as, first responders who must clean up the mess and hose off the blood.
One day will be our last day. Let's try to make it a productive one and not go out doing something as stupid as trying to beat a train.
The bottom line is that people don't care anymore. There wreckless, and don't care about the train crew or first responders. Maby it should be age 18 before kids can get there licence
With the number of incidents that occur at gated crossings with flashers and bells, I have come to believe that these are really suicides....without all the formalities.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
In many cases, unfortunately, the only person who could have answred that isn't going to. What a waste of someone's life either way.
We need more Darwin Awards! We really should be thanking those people! Well, maybe when their car bounces off the train and hits someone else, that's not such a good thing...
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