OvermodPerhaps I wouldn't be so confident if there weren't several people who drive these things up and down and up and down in front of and around my wife's residential compound, without any particular care for people trying to enter and leave in cars. Embeds the details in your mind after a while, it does..
Which reminds me of a number of people I've seen in wheelchairs or powered scooters (or variations of the same) behaving very irresponsibly in parking lots, streets, crossings, or what have you.
While I try to be understanding and realize that given the choice they wouldn't be in a wheelchair I can't help but think if it was irresponsible behavior that put them in the wheelchair to begin with.
I know that doesn't sound very charitable but it does make me wonder, know what I mean?
I haven't seen any reporting on this, but I'm assuming the wheelchair/scooter was demolished, right? And did the train stop? From what I could tell, that train was going very fast, and did not seem to be braking. In an incident like this, wouldn't the train be required to stop if the wheelchair was hit?
Lithonia OperatorI haven't seen any reporting on this, but I'm assuming the wheelchair/scooter was demolished, right? And did the train stop? From what I could tell, that train was going very fast, and did not seem to be braking. In an incident like this, wouldn't the train be required to stop if the wheelchair was hit?
I feel certain the train did stop, but a big train at or near track speed takes time to stop be in Emergency or Service. If the train didn't stop that would have been the second lead of the story.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Flintlock76While I try to be understanding and realize that given the choice they wouldn't be in a wheelchair I can't help but think if it was irresponsible behavior that put them in the wheelchair to begin with.
I got a still from Mike of the man in the wheelchair stuck on the tracks which unfortunately I can't manage to link or insert.
However, the chair is parallel to the tracks, and one of the wheels is either stuck in the gap between the rail and the "ramp" and it appears to have a flat tire, or maybe the photo just gives that impression.
It looks like instead of proceeding directly across the tracks the man in the chair turned for some reason and got the chair stuck.
tree68 From what I could make out from the video, this wasn't your garden variety wheelchair, with skinny wheels - it was a motorized version. Those usually have some pretty fat wheels on them. In fact you can catch a glimpse of the rear caster wheels in the video.
From what I could make out from the video, this wasn't your garden variety wheelchair, with skinny wheels - it was a motorized version. Those usually have some pretty fat wheels on them. In fact you can catch a glimpse of the rear caster wheels in the video.
Didn't watch the video and am not familiar with the motorized wheelchairs, so can't comment on them. My mother-in-law used two electric scooter chairs during her last few years. One of them was a big heavy thing with pneumatic tires about 3 inches wide and 8 or 10 inches in diameter, which would have no issues with a RR crossing approached at a 90 degree angle. However, her other scooter was much smaller and lighter, designed to be broken down and the parts stowed in a car trunk. It had narrow solid tires about 4 inches in diameter that would have had serious issues with a RR crossing even if approached at a 90 degree angle. One's equipment has to be at least a part of the solution to the problem of RR crossings.
The wheels need to be like wide cylinders with a very shallow radial thickness. That way, they could not drop into into the flangeways no matter how they were pivoted for steering.
BaltACDI feel certain the train did stop, but a big train at or near track speed takes time to stop be in Emergency or Service. If the train didn't stop that would have been the second lead of the story.
You can hear the brakes taking hold in teh video. Plus if you slow it down, you can see the pistons are all the way out on the cars.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
EuclidThe wheels need to be like wide cylinders with a very shallow radial thickness. That way, they could not drop into into the flangeways no matter how they were pivoted for steering.
BaltACD Euclid The wheels need to be like wide cylinders with a very shallow radial thickness. That way, they could not drop into into the flangeways no matter how they were pivoted for steering.
Euclid The wheels need to be like wide cylinders with a very shallow radial thickness. That way, they could not drop into into the flangeways no matter how they were pivoted for steering.
Yes, something like that. Maybe split them so there are two narrow, rotating segments that run on the roadway at the widest gauge, and then reduce the diameter a bit for the rest of the cylinder, so it clears the roadway, but is there to prevent the whole assembly from dropping down into the flangeways. Then have the two rolling segments free of each other so they can turn independently and not scrub with so much friction on the roadway when they have to pivot as casters. That would be similar to a lot of chair casters that each have two independent wheels. They should be at least 6" dia. and could be sclupted out to reduce the massiveness.
There remains a need to balance such a need with the operational/design needs of the device. Most things that are designed to everything do nothing very well.
If, indeed, there was a wheel stuck in the flangeway, it would suggest that he started across, realized a train was coming, and tried to turn around. Given the time frame of the video, it's likely he'd have been better off just "goosing" it and getting across the tracks.
We've seen enough stories about motorists getting flustered at crossings to give this some credence.
And there's the possibility he was fouling the tracks on purpose, sorry to say.
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...
https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/13/44/17/19809262/3/920x920.jpg
From Mike. It was that close.
I know the discussion is mainly about the reasons the wheelchair was even in that situation.
The other part of the story remains that this policewoman did an amazing rescue of this man. She was very close to losing her life trying to save his.
York1 John
Flintlock76 https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/13/44/17/19809262/3/920x920.jpg From Mike. It was that close.
The guy's wristwatch corresponds to the time stamp on the photo
York1The other part of the story remains that this policewoman did an amazing rescue of this man. She was very close to losing her life trying to save his.
Amen, Brother. Amen. IMHO, I bet she wasn't even thinking about the risk; rather she was focused on saving the citizen in peril. Good on her!
tree68 Euclid The wheels need to be like wide cylinders with a very shallow radial thickness. That way, they could not drop into into the flangeways no matter how they were pivoted for steering. There remains a need to balance such a need with the operational/design needs of the device. Most things that are designed to everything do nothing very well. If, indeed, there was a wheel stuck in the flangeway, it would suggest that he started across, realized a train was coming, and tried to turn around. Given the time frame of the video, it's likely he'd have been better off just "goosing" it and getting across the tracks. We've seen enough stories about motorists getting flustered at crossings to give this some credence. And there's the possibility he was fouling the tracks on purpose, sorry to say.
You don't know he was suicidal.
zugmann Or you know, not have the crossing apparatus bolted in the middle of the sidewalk?
Or you know, not have the crossing apparatus bolted in the middle of the sidewalk?
Really. The poor guy had to get around that by going into the roadway, which, he correctly ascertained, was not a great place to be. But then in turning to get out of the street, it made the front wheels be paralell to the rails, hence enabling one to get stuck in the flangeway.
He didn't say he was. Just was suggesting it as a possibility.
tree68 Euclid The wheels need to be like wide cylinders with a very shallow radial thickness. That way, they could not drop into into the flangeways no matter how they were pivoted for steering. There remains a need to balance such a need with the operational/design needs of the device. Most things that are designed to everything do nothing very well.
Yes, the solution has to be simple. Sometimes a solution can lead to another problem. Bicycles get stuck in grade crossing flangeways sometimes. But people using wheel chairs have special condtions that do not apply as much to bicyclists. Wheel chairs may be equipped with special wheels that can't get stuck in flangeways, but then those wheels may be deemed too bulky and disruptive even for slow moving wheel chairs. Nobody would want 6" wide wheels on their bicycle. So they may not want them on their wheel chair.
Sombody may have mentioned this earlier, but here is an approach to provide shallow flangeways. This seems like a credible approach to the mobility device hangup problem, but it also is promoted as self-cleaning flangeway that could benefit the rail traffic as well.
This link should be able open large views of patent illustrations of the cross section of these elestomeric fillers that can be simply pressed into place without taking apart the crossing. It seems like a well engineered product that would be a realistic approach to serving a real need. It is called a "Shallow Flangeway" and made by Polycorp.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120000987
Leo_Ames He didn't say he was. Just was suggesting it as a possibility.
Exactly.
Among the other things we don't know is how often this gentleman crosses these tracks with this vehicle. It could well be that he does so daily. Perhaps he was not used to seeing trains at that time.
Unless there is a follow-up story, we know about all we'll ever know about the incident.
EuclidNobody would want 6" wide wheels on their bicycle.
From MBTR.COM
tree68 Leo_Ames He didn't say he was. Just was suggesting it as a possibility. Exactly. Among the other things we don't know is how often this gentleman crosses these tracks with this vehicle. It could well be that he does so daily. Perhaps he was not used to seeing trains at that time. Unless there is a follow-up story, we know about all we'll ever know about the incident.
Since you don't really know details, why did you suggest suicidal intent rather than any of the other more likely reasons?
The cop had to pull the guy off of the chair because it was stuck in the flangeway. If he was attempting to kill himself, he would have had no reason to get himself stuck; he would have just rolled himself out there and stopped.
charlie hebdo tree68 Euclid The wheels need to be like wide cylinders with a very shallow radial thickness. That way, they could not drop into into the flangeways no matter how they were pivoted for steering. There remains a need to balance such a need with the operational/design needs of the device. Most things that are designed to everything do nothing very well. If, indeed, there was a wheel stuck in the flangeway, it would suggest that he started across, realized a train was coming, and tried to turn around. Given the time frame of the video, it's likely he'd have been better off just "goosing" it and getting across the tracks. We've seen enough stories about motorists getting flustered at crossings to give this some credence. And there's the possibility he was fouling the tracks on purpose, sorry to say. You don't know he was suicidal.
Railroads continue to be one of the means of choice for suicidal individuals - how they desire the railroad to kill them differs, there are a multitude of ways.
Lithonia Operator The cop had to pull the guy off of the chair because it was stuck in the flangeway. If he was attempting to kill himself, he would have had no reason to get himself stuck; he would have just rolled himself out there and stopped.
I agree. I think the stuck wheel chair rules out suicide
From Mike:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6L9EDNJT1I
https://www.gofundme.com/f/jonathan-mata039s?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf%20share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR3QLH3EsXmF4Ojq4uBzL3kdBZwSUnaSYUQtakfvfXgm1c_tSJpEhns6eQk
BaltACDRailroads continue to be one of the means of choice for suicidal individuals - how they desire the railroad to kill them differs, there are a multitude of ways.
We seem to have one every month or so on the Coaster/Amtrak route through the costal cities in San Diego County, in addition to the "impaired" pedestrians. It's just brutal on the train crews and first responders.
The still images do appear to show not one, but two, wheels stuck in the flangeway, which does tend to rule out suicide.
Without that information, suicide is a rule-out option. That he had his back to the oncoming train is a consideration in that, in my mind, in that he didn't want to see it coming, if suicide was, indeed, his intention.
But, yeah, it's off the table for this incident.
Still unanswered is why he was perpendicular to what one would think would have been his route of travel across the crossing.
According to the CDC, of the 47,193 suicides in the US in 2017 (#10 cause of deaths) half are by guns, then poison, then asphyxiation. #4 is "Other" representing only 7.8%. Suicide by train would be somewhere in that group, but likely trailing fall from high places and drowning.
charlie hebdo According to the CDC, of the 47,193 suicides in the US in 2017 (#10 cause of deaths) half are by guns, then poison, then asphyxiation. #4 is "Other" representing only 7.8%. Suicide by train would be somewhere in that group, but likely trailing fall from high places and drowning.
But it does happen.
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