Simply amazing they wasn't killed.I feel for the engineer that was mentally shook up over this near tragedy-this is according to a article I read about this incident...

Warning its raw footage from a locomotive's camera.

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Almost a " Thelma and Louise " , railroad version . What were they thinking ?

T

teejay Wrote:What were they thinking ?

T

They probably weren't. You can't fix stupid.

That was my first thought when they showed that on the TV news. Who in their right mind would walk on a railroad bridge some 50' high and not think that there was the risk that a train would be coming while they were still on the tracks? I agree, I feel sorry for the engineer that had to go through this. The newscast said there was about 10" clearance, they were lucky nothing was hanging down from any of the cars.

Seems like a bridge in the middle of nowhere. And it also appears they are older than teenagers - so it's hard to blame youth. What in the world were they doing out there, and why would they decide to cross a railroad bridge? I wonder if intoxication was at play. I've seen intoxicated people do some pretty stupid things near railroad tracks.

I bet if there was a sound recording of any in cab conversation that all the news services could play would be a series of bleeps.

Seriously, I too felt sorry for the engineer.
Imagine having to call that one in and then walk your train on a bridge no less, fully expecting to come across a slaughterhouse like scene underneath your train. The relief at finding them alive under the train would have been almost as big a shock.
Later the anger will come, especially when he wakes in a cold sweat after reliving this event in his sleep.

A mate of mine who is a police officer, told me years ago about attending a suicide by train event, a suburban electric passenger train, and yes it was a slaughterhouse scene. Picking up the pieces so to speak is not a nice part of the job for the police or ambos.

Unfortunately severely depressed people are in such a deep hole mentally that consideration for others goes way down their list.

Anyone finding themselves in just such a position need to realise that it is OK to put your hand up and ask for help.

For men it can be the hardest thing of all to ask for help but it can be done and it is OK.

I have been there in the bottom of that mental hole and it is not a nice place to visit or be living in, but with the right tools and a little bit of help a person can dig their way back up into the sunlight and enjoy life again.

Mark
Sorry didnt mean to rant but the situation is often related to suicide by train.

I understood a train put into emergency has a chance to derail. A derail on that narrow bridge might become a life thread for the engine crew.
I wonder about the crime and civil law consequences for the ladies.

That is why bridges and tunnels and any other place a derailed train could be a major disaster are fitted with gauntlet rails.
They are the extra set of rails you can see in the video on the inside of the standard rails and they run the full length of the bridge and just beyond at both ends.
Mark

Just at a guess, this took place in a part of the world where roads are primitive or non-existent, and the railroad bridge is a regular means to cross a large river. These two women probably didn't know the schedule. I noted, however, as I hope all of you did, that the engineer made NO EFFORT to reduce his speed - he just blew his horn like that would solve the problem, despite the fact that they were in clear view for quite some distance.

My guess is South America, where life doesn't count for anything and safety rules are non-existent.

MountainMan Wrote:Just at a guess, this took place in a part of the world where roads are primitive or non-existent, and the railroad bridge is a regular means to cross a large river. These two women probably didn't know the schedule. I noted, however, as I hope all of you did, that the engineer made NO EFFORT to reduce his speed - he just blew his horn like that would solve the problem, despite the fact that they were in clear view for quite some distance.

My guess is South America, where life doesn't count for anything and safety rules are non-existent.

I think the video said that this happened in Indiana, right here in the USA.... I don't think you could tell exactly when the engineer hit the brake by looking at that video, but from what I heard, he was able to stop within 1500 feet of where these women were which says that he hit them well before passing over these women.

MountainMan Wrote:My guess is South America, where life doesn't count for anything and safety rules are non-existent.

This happened on the Indiana Rail Road (INRD) about 10 miles northeast of Bloomington, IN. Amazing that both women weren't killed. For some reason, high trestles and bridges seem to attract people. NS has hit and killed several people over the years on the Pope Lick trestle, east of Jeffersontown, KY. No trespassing signs, even putting up fences, has not stopped people from walking out on to that trestle and the line sees a lot of traffic.

Did the train ever stop to check out the "damage"..??

Steamtrains Wrote:Did the train ever stop to check out the "damage"..??

Yeah, from the one report I saw, they did stop expecting to see a gruesome sight, but the women both got up and ran away.

I guess they were expecting a mangled mess..Those two are the luckiest stupids around...

A view from Bing images of the bridge...