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Man In Wheel Chair On Tracks

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  • Member since
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  • From: Denver / La Junta
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Posted by mudchicken on Friday, August 14, 2020 12:44 AM

zugmann

 

 
Flintlock76
The man in the wheelchair?  Attempted suicide?  Chair wheel caught in the gap?  Mentally out of it?  Who knows?  A paucity of information there.

 

https://goo.gl/maps/7dEEfyp9ryPnt6oA8

There's the crossing on streetview.  I can pretty much guess what happened - and see a major issue that was probably at play.   

 

Zugs: Who gets the "come to jesus" moment, the City Engineer or the CA PUC who approved the design? WCH has a secondary pedX-ng gate to cover sidewalks going behind the gate, but the road agency probably did not want to pay for it and CaPUC probably did not see the need for it.

Mod: anything placed above the top of rail is a bozo no-no. (FRA/CaPUC/AREMA)....the same goes for any striping in the foul zone 

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
  • Member since
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  • From: Canterlot
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Posted by zugmann on Friday, August 14, 2020 12:07 AM

 

Gramp

Glad this "evil" policeman wasn't defunded. 

 

Was that political crap comment really neccesary here?

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

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Posted by Gramp on Thursday, August 13, 2020 11:27 PM

Glad this "evil" policeman wasn't defunded. 

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Posted by Gramp on Thursday, August 13, 2020 11:21 PM

Haven't heard pig Latin in a long time. 
ixnay on the ottenray. Young Frankenstein 

  • Member since
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  • From: Canterlot
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Posted by zugmann on Thursday, August 13, 2020 9:53 PM

umm...ok..?

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

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 13, 2020 9:45 PM

zugmann
Or you know, not have the crossing apparatus bolted in the middle of the sidewalk

Well, it IS Gavin Newsom's California.  Perhaps they thought it was a helpful ADA appliance to aid people needing something to push off from to get a boost across.

As I recall the Californians had a similar problem with those idiot 'no straight through' gates for bike paths, which you couldn't negotiate easily in a wheelchair.  Ot-nay oo-tay ight-bray, as we used to say in the East.

For what it's worth, oh brother do I agree with you.

  • Member since
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  • From: Canterlot
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Posted by zugmann on Thursday, August 13, 2020 9:43 PM

Or you know, not have the crossing apparatus bolted in the middle of the sidewalk?

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

  • Member since
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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 13, 2020 9:42 PM

What time of day was this?  Sheesh, you can see trains coming a mile away in either direction.

I can see an easy fix, though, one that can be retrofitted easily to these crossings.  Make up 'bars' of relatively distinctive color plastic that can serve as cross 'rails' on either side of the railhead and flange gap,. spaced to guide wheelchair wheels without letting them turn.  Then clearly mark that any wheelchair or scooter users have to engage these rails when crossing safely.

Alas! the discussion has been had about crossings that 'anticipate' when a train is coming and activate an 'early warning' for slow-moving people using the crossing.  If I remember correctly, railroads saw the necessary scheduling as a risk to proprietary operations information that could be easily extracted by casual observation.

  • Member since
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  • From: Canterlot
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Posted by zugmann on Thursday, August 13, 2020 9:20 PM

Flintlock76
The man in the wheelchair?  Attempted suicide?  Chair wheel caught in the gap?  Mentally out of it?  Who knows?  A paucity of information there.

https://goo.gl/maps/7dEEfyp9ryPnt6oA8

There's the crossing on streetview.  I can pretty much guess what happened - and see a major issue that was probably at play.   

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

  • Member since
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  • From: Georgia USA SW of Atlanta
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Posted by blue streak 1 on Thursday, August 13, 2020 6:58 PM

Have you ever looked at the operation of the leading wheels of most wheel chairs ?  Just turn the direction of a wheel chair less than 5 degrees and the wheel(s) swivel.  Then one or both leading wheels may drop into the gauge side gap possibly up to 3 or 4 inches. I  personally know someone who that happened to fortunately no train coming.  Rescued by a man close by.

Speculation --- The man may have been crossing and hears the train.  He then looks that way causing the wheel chair to turn and leading wheel(s) dropping into guage side.

We have a crossing that is regularly crossed by several persons daily to get to drug store, local 7-11, PO, bank, city hall, etc.  It is  protected by lights and gates.

  • Member since
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  • From: Georgia USA SW of Atlanta
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Posted by blue streak 1 on Thursday, August 13, 2020 6:54 PM

Have you ever looked at the operation of the leading wheels of most wheel chairs ?  Just turn the direction of a wheel chair less than 5 degrees and the wheel(s) swivel.  Then one or both leading wheels may drop into the gauge side gap possibly up to 3 or 4 inches. I  personally know someone who that happened to fortunately no train coming.  Rescued by a man close by.

Speculation --- The man may have been crossing and hears the train.  He then looks that way causing the wheel chair to turn and leading wheel(s) dropping into guage side.

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
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Posted by Flintlock76 on Thursday, August 13, 2020 4:37 PM

Man, that's a good cop!

The man in the wheelchair?  Attempted suicide?  Chair wheel caught in the gap?  Mentally out of it?  Who knows?  A paucity of information there.

  • Member since
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Man In Wheel Chair On Tracks
Posted by Goodtiming on Thursday, August 13, 2020 8:43 AM

That was extremely close. Was he stuck or trying something?

 

https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-police-officer-wheelchair-man-train-rescue

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