Update on the trespasser fatality. :={

[lionkingcmsl]

Sometimes it is not nice to be part of the "in crowd". :={

As I was walking towards the end of the platform, at 30th St., the rear flag of #173, our rescue train, a friend of mine told me the trespasser was a 17 year old female who was walking her bicycle across the tracks. :={

There are brand new fences along this stretch, to prevent such actions, but there are already holes cut in them. This section is a four track mainline with a curve to the east, from the direction our train came from. The curve is somewhat sharper than normal and has, IIRC, a speed restriction of 95mph, down from 125 mph.

A couple of years ago there was a multi-fatality incident in a fenced in section and the local residents admitted to the news crew that, in fact, they had cut the holes so they could take shortcuts across the tracks.

So now there is a grieving family that lost a young girl that really hadn't started her life. :={

Really, a very bad day. :={

Comments

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

That definitely sucks. I've never understood the "I've got a magic shield!" mentality the characterizes some people.

-TG

[skipai.livejournal.com]

That sucks a lot. But it happens a lot over here as well from various places around the country that it got to the point that it was happening on such regularity that at the time British Rail had to enforce a few more things which is still enforced today by Network Rail.

Basically if you're even caught on a part of the railway system that you're not supposed to be it's an automatic, no appeal £1,000 on the spot fine.

We've had loads of radio and television adverts that in some cases had to scare and terrify people to not do stuff such as this, even with faked but very realistic images. Whether that has helped of not I don't know.

But there has been some that keep on thinking that a train can stop just as fast as a car can and as such to save those few minutes or whatever the risk is justified to you know, save those minutes.

I know our country has this mindset bunrt into brains here. Such as crossing the road while there's a pesterian crossing only 5-10 metres away. Pushing a parm out first from behind a truck/bus etc.

And in some cases those that decide to not wait for a 125 or 225kph Intercity express train. (Ones that tilt so they don't slow down much) when the barrier comes down and just drive across.

Liverpool had a problem like this when there were incoming 125's into the city centre and there's not really that much time to react if you are caught in front of one for the person and especially for the poor driver.

I don't get why some think it's okay to use such dangerous shortcuts like this? Be it rail but also there's been reports of people running across a motorway/freeway just to get to another place quickly.

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to decide whether being upgraded from "suicide" to "just plain stupid" is an improvement.

[mooncat.livejournal.com]

What makes it more sad is that...no one will learn from it. People will still cut holes in the fences, and cross the tracks, thinking that they will be immune, and never remembering that someone died doing the exact same thing.

[hallan.livejournal.com]

*hugs*