I feel bad for the family and the crew. http://news.yahoo.com/three-illinois-siblings-killed-crash-halloween-parade-174225715.html
Southern Illinois actually, but not any less tragic for that. Has the feel of she stopped between the gates due to traffic and then got caught when they came down. Just maybe someone else will see the story and learn to never stop on or between tracks at any time.
Sad. What I don't understand is the unwillingness to scratch the car, or break a gate arm. Seems like that would be preferable to injury or even dying.
You don't STOP on a railroad crossing - even if the gates aren't down and and there are no flashers operating. You stop clear of the crossing until it can be seen that there is room across the crossing to hold your vehicle in the clear of the crossing. The type of situation applies to countless crossings across the country. A traffic light - an area clear of the railroad crossing - the railroad crossing - the roadway approaching the railroad crossing.
She was in a line of traffic and unwisely proceeded to stop on the tracks. When the train came bearing down on her, she had no where to go as she was blocked in by traffic. This happened not too far from me and whenever I'm in Decatur there is usually someone behind me honking because I will not wait on active tracks, waiting for the signal to change. Why Illinois drivers are so impatient is beyond me as there is really nothing to rush to out here. Of course the local media is making the train crew look bad, mainly because the local media is very ignorant on how a freight or passenger train functions and the basic physics that surround reality.
Media. Somehow they make through a post-high school "education." I have NO respect for these jokes who are passed off on us as being "journalists" these days.
The same for me.... The media's only fonction is 50% speaking of what they don't know and 50% hiding what they know.... Dom
