I came home the other day and my girlfriends daughter says to me, "I saw a train hit a car today!" It seems she was on the city bus on her way home when a light rail train hit a car and carried it about 50 feet. She got to see the whole thing happen. Dang, I do feel somehow slighted and one upped by a teenager. LOL
I hope nobody was hurt. One thing positive about witnessing a grade crossing collision is that it should make anyone a safer driver when they see the results of getting hit by a train.
My thoughts are if your not there to cause it, or could not have prevented it,then why not be there to see it!. steve
If you have ever seen a severe accident resulting in major injuries or death you will never want to see one again. I understand what you are getting at but trust me as she matures she will always have this scene in the back of her mind and it may or may not be a positive influence on her.
In times past I've treated this subject with abondoned hillarity...perhaps a way to fend off the deeper seated emotions that were screaming to come out. As an ambulance EMT, a mortician and funeral director I've responded to these scenes. I've witnessed a few crashes in my life time. I was in the right place at the wrong time. I was then called to return to the scene to pick-up what's left of someones loved one. I've watched train crews, big strong willed guys break down as they desperately tried to rescue those hurt in a crash. I witnessed one older engineer about to retire, give it up and retire on the spot. I don't care to see or work another one of these incidents. It is carelessness on behalf of the driver of any vehicle that pulls into the path of a oncoming train. No one else's fault but the driver. Usually at risk to family or friends riding in the vehicle. It is bazaar and there's never been a crash site that didn't have it's lookie lous. In WW11 a captain of a ship said quietly to a reveling staff of ship mates...after scoring a direct hit on a enemy ship..."There's men dieing over there" and then saluted the other ships captain and crew. You weren't slighted and I see no joy in watching a train versus vehicle tangle with each other.
But the fact is that most people are interested in accidents (not just train wrecks) and want to see what happened - I don't know why, it seems counter-intuitive. They make good news stories for that reason (I think), but at the same time people get pilloried for wanting to have a look. Like so many things in modern life there are some dual standards and also a denial of our basic nature.
I guess my first post seemed too light handed. After talking to her I tried finding the story online. Either the local papers avoid talking about Light Rail accidents or else they just aren't good news anymore, but I don't think anyone was killed. The intersection is well signaled and the trains move very slow through there. I suspect the driver was just not paying attention. I have caught myself on occasion almost going through light rail crossings where they are at street level. We just don't seem to have the same awareness of trolleys as we used to. Train crashes ARE fascinating. I don't wish one to happen, but It's interesting.
It's that ever awesome sense of physics, I guess - we are drawn to the incredible, and it seems incredible how quickly things we consider to be indestructible so quickly trun into scrap iron. No slight...unless you like watching accidents. There's lots of TV shows with that nowadays, so apparenlty there is a large audience for it.
I worked with a guy that was an EMT for the neighbor town. He has two albums full of picture of accidents. Like body part hang from a bridge, burned bodies and the like. Very, very sickening. I saw enough of that in Viet Nam. But when he brought them into work you would believe how some of the people, including women, reveled in them. I did know a guy in college who was hit by a fast moving freight. They picked up that Studebaker and tossed the pieces into a couple pick ups. He spend the night in the hospital and walked out the next day with only a few bruised and scraps. I personally had my rear bumper taken off by a freight in Green Bay. Boy that was pucker time.
I've been a volunteer fireman, and also drove a wrecker. Scraped a few folks folks off pavement, and more out of vehicle remnants. So the only thing that interests me is these events not happening. I always feel sorry for the train crews. Boxcab E50
Rick, Be careful in saying that its always the driver's fault. Many times the crossings are poorly engineered or there are other circumstances that cause crashes. I remember watching a show a while back about train crossings and one of the case studies involved a collision between an Amtrak train on UP rails and a car being driven by a teen, who was killed. UP did everything they could to avoid blame. All the systems, including the gate arms, seemed to be working well so it had to be the driver's fault right? Well, the smoking gun here came in the form of a traffic camera about a block away. The camera showed that the gates didn't go down. Unfortunately, there was an embankment that prevented the driver from seeing the train coming so he had no reason to believe there would be a train. The investigation revealed that maintence was being done down the line and the sensor was bypassed during the collision. Just some food for thought, Eric
Life has a way of making those who actually experience it far more mature and realistic in how they look at these things.
I've seen the results of two train vs car encounters. Many years ago before the UP gobbled up the Katy I came across a grade crossing accident. A woman drove around the crossing gates trying to beat a Katy pig train and didn't make it. The car was shoved about 100 yards before the train could stop. The train was only going 25 MPH but still resulted in a fatality. I happened to have my camera with me that day and took a few snaps of the aftermath (without the body). One of the brakemen asked if I would send him copies so he could show his wife what he has to go through on the job. I guess she couldn't believe how stupid some drivers are. The second accident was somewhat funny (no one was hurt). A guy had just bought one of those dune buggy type cars with the rear VW engine and open rollbar cockpit. He found that the width of the tires was perfect for hi-railing and decided to take a spin up Skyline grade near the piggyback terminal here in Mesquite. Along comes a Mopac freight that impailed the car on the pilot. Luckily the guy jumped in time but the car ended up a mangled ball of junk. It took an hour for a wrecker to pull the car from the front of the train. Some folks just don't have any sense. I guess those of us that are railfans and modelers know the dangers and most don't take chances. Besides, I don't know of a railfan worth his salt that doesn't stop even before the gates go down just to see a train
My uncle (former ATSF engineer/conductor of 20+ years) has told me too many stories of looking into peoples faces that are in cars before impact. I wish never to be apart of that.
I was stopped to make a left turn once and a teenage boy decided to pass everyone that was pulled over for an approaching ambulance. There was an incredible collision right before my eyes. I saw everything and to my bewilderment, I was very disturbed and upset as if I had been involved in it myself. It bothered me for a couple of days and I wish I wouldn’t have been there.
