Maybe these bridges could be modified a little by building them (or retrofitting older ones) with a catwalk that could be used for service personnel as well as pedestrians who are caught on the bridge. Surely such a catwalk would have saved the lives of these children as they would have walked along that instead of on the right of way directly. Yes, we all know that it is illegal and iresponsible to trespass...but it will continue to happen and kids will continue to pay with their lives unless these structures are modified somewhat to allow people. I hate to say it...but there should be a law that requires bridges to have catwalks. Hey..what would happen if train crew members or passengers had an emergency on that bridge? There would be no way to evacuate..
BNSFwatcherDarn! I'd jump off that bridge, no qualms!
Twenty feet looks like a formidable height from the top. It is dark and the water is cold. The depth of the water is unknown. Say you’re 50 feet from the end of the bridge, and a train approaches the other end about 400 feet away. Would you jump off the bridge or would you try to run those 50 feet to safety?
Didn't a school "official" remark that the bridge was a popular target for "graffiti artists"? Does the UFT/NEA condone tha activities of "taggers", so that the little darlings can maintain their self-esteem? From the looks of your pictures, this was not a first incidence of trespassing, by far. The LEAs were "asleep-at-the-switch", methinks. Guess they'll BOLO for a while.... Darn! I'd jump off that bridge, no qualms! Don't say that Florida girls can't swim!
Hays
blhanel I've eyeballed that bridge several times while on business trips to Palm Bay- stayed at nice digs in Melbourne Beach, and had to drive through downtown Melbourne twice a day. Even caught sight of trains crossing it a time or two, and they weren't moving slow. My sympathies to all affected.
I've eyeballed that bridge several times while on business trips to Palm Bay- stayed at nice digs in Melbourne Beach, and had to drive through downtown Melbourne twice a day. Even caught sight of trains crossing it a time or two, and they weren't moving slow. My sympathies to all affected.
Usually, the FEC locomotives travel thru those areas around 50mph or more.
eolafanif teenagers WOULD only learn lessons from tragedies such as this one they MIGHT be less likely to have such experiences themselves...BUT they never do
Bingo!
"It can't happen to ME!
But it did, and now everyone has to deal with it. My thoughts go out to all involved.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
After examination of photos and news story.
1- Girls were trespassing.
2- Paid for trespass with lives.
3- Until ALL children AND Adults stay the &^ off those bridges and other RR property, they will continue to die or maim going where they should not.
My prayers are with the train crew who must really be hurting right now.
Before you throw things at me and think me heartless, consider one stupid act I did near railroad once long ago in my youth. I have no right to survive that little episode. 2 feet between heaven or hell depending on the suspension on each rail car that passed overhead.
wanswheel Awful tragedy. I imagine the kids had it on their minds that a train could come and what would they do if it did. Maybe they even talked about it. Here's some pictures of the bridge and the last picture is of the train earlier in the day. http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/0/9/2/4092.1246835519.jpg http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/8/8/6/8886.1086708540.jpg http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/4/3/1/4431.1070467200.jpg http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/6/2/8/5628.1238841089.jpg http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/3/3/0/3330.1070248860.jpg http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/0/5/8/2058.1238424655.jpg http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=314884
Awful tragedy. I imagine the kids had it on their minds that a train could come and what would they do if it did. Maybe they even talked about it. Here's some pictures of the bridge and the last picture is of the train earlier in the day.
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/0/9/2/4092.1246835519.jpg
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/8/8/6/8886.1086708540.jpg
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/4/3/1/4431.1070467200.jpg
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/6/2/8/5628.1238841089.jpg
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/3/3/0/3330.1070248860.jpg
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/0/5/8/2058.1238424655.jpg
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=314884
Great Photos! Thanks for sharing! I was wondering why they cross the bridge? The guy made it first but I guess they got scared and panic. It's hard for the family and crew.
From the look of those photos, it appears as though that was once a double track trestle. The satellite map image looks like there is still some kind of decking, perhaps a bed of ties, where the second track was removed. If so, the girls might have easily sought sanctuary there and cleared the train.
Here is a link with video:
http://www.wftv.com/news/22622837/detail.html
It looks like the trestle is about 20 feet above the water. If they jumped, there would have been a high probability of survival, providing that they could swim. But walking 20 feet above the water, in the dark, they probably began the crossing with the resolve to not fall off the trestle. It would thus be difficult to reverse that mindset despite the approach of a train. Nobody would want to be proactive and go into the water if it turned out to have not been necessary. So the tendency would be to just keep moving, hoping they could escape in time. Perhaps a better alternative would be to lay down in the clear at the very edge, but they probably did not know about the clearance area. And the possibility of escaping in time would likely seem preferable to laying down at the edge, hoping that the train would clear.
SHOULD have, COULD have, WOULD have...and if pigs had utters they would be cows...if teenagers WOULD only learn lessons from tragedies such as this one they MIGHT be less likely to have such experiences themselves...BUT they never do (I know it took me a long time to learn from a number of near tragedies, not rail related, until common sense began to win out over ignorance/stupidity in my own life). We can only hope humanity learns lessons earlier in life as the generations pass to new ones...but I'm not holding my breath waiting.
How high is it? Could they have survived jumping?
Reality TV is to reality, what Professional Wrestling is to Professional Brain Surgery.
It looks like that Crane Creek trestle is about 350 feet long, and it is over water all the way.
I too...just saw the TV report on the terrible incident with the 3 girls in Florida.
I know it is natural for a person to panic under those circumstances, but wouldn't it be worth a chance, if people caught out on a structure like that to lay down flat on the outer most edge of the ties and have some chance of the train passing without being hit by it.....
I know things drag off some RR cars, but with that being the only chance, I wonder it that might just be enough space to survive the train passing, hopefully above them....I realize it would be hard for a human to try to do that.....I'm sure the first reaction is to run, if there is to be any chance of getting out of the way at all. But sadly, occasionally we hear of the terrible stories as this one.
Quentin
Sounds like they were crossing the train bridge? They should have known that a train could come along at any time...and not to trespass. Still, it's very sad, especially that the one saw it all happen and couldn't do anything to stop it.
Tragic. Stories like this should be posted at schools and malls and other places reminding kids of the dangers. My heart goes out to the crew on board and the families.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
Train kills 3 teen girls crossing Florida bridgeMELBOURNE, Fla. - Three teenage girls crossing a bridge in central Florida were killed by a freight train as they desperately tried to get out of its way and their helpless friend on the other side could only watch, police said Sunday.The girls and the fourth teenager, a boy, were hanging out in Melbourne's downtown area - known for its shops and nightclubs - when they decided to cross the trestle around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Lt. Curtis Barger said."The male made it across the tracks, turned around, heard the train, saw it and yelled for them to run," Barger said. "He then told them to jump."The girls did not have enough time. Barger said all the teens were from the area, but their identities have not been released. That likely won't happen until Monday, after officials can compare dental records, he said.John Vallee, 54, lives near the trestle that spans the Crane Creek and was watching TV when he heard a loud screech. He went outside and first thought he saw a blanket tangled under a rail car. Then he realized it was a person."It's going to be hard for me to get to sleep," Vallee told Florida Today. "I can't get it out of my mind."Barger said the teens' parents dropped them off at a Melbourne mall and the kids took a bus downtown, where they were "just goofing off.""It's very tragic," he said. "Especially because it's young folks who haven't had a chance to experience life, it's exceptionally touching."Authorities in Melbourne, a city of about 77,000 nearly 50 miles east of Orlando, are investigating.The track is owned by the Florida East Coast Railway, which operates about 350 miles of track along the state's east coast. Railway officials did not immediately return calls for comment.---Information from: Florida Today, http://www.floridatoday.com
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