Pedestrian hit by train

[Teysa]

While the train I work on was headed north to pick up passengers, an older gentleman walking his dog alongside the tracks got hit by the train. Somehow he lived, although he's in critical condition. This happened around 3:30 or 4 in the morning.

We had to wait a while for the helicopter and rescue personnel to get there. The conductor and engineers were switched out. I happened to be looking out the window when the engineers were getting into the company vehicle. The expression on the one man's face was a combination of shock, horror, and despair.

Of course we were way late picking up passengers. To their credit, they were really patient and understanding about the whole thing. I was just busy enough to keep from thinking too much. We only took passengers north and dropped them off. The southbound passengers were bussed to the ship. The crew took the train to Anchorage, then we got bussed back to Seward.

I still haven't completely processed everything. That might be why I'm writing it down. Sorry if this post seems a bit rambly.

[CyberLurch]

I feel bad that the old man got hurt, and that you and the train crew had to deal with the aftermath. It's important to remember, however, that there was NOTHING they could have done to prevent it. The blame is entirely on the old man. He shouldn't have been there AT ALL, but even so, common sense should have told him to get out of the way. I know I'm a bad person for saying this, but it serves him right. I really do hope, however, that he recovers to learn from his mistake.

I see stupid crap like this all the damned time. People just do not comprehend the physics of a moving train. I see them ignore the signals and drive around the barriers, and at some of the crossings in my area, those big freight trains are going at fairly high speeds. They CAN NOT stop quickly, nor can they 'swerve' to avoid something in their path.

But, as has been observed before, people (in general) are idiots.

[Teysa]

In fairness, the man had Alzheimer's. It's always possible it didn't even register that he was walking near the tracks.

[eltf177]

If he had Alzheimer's then indeed it might not have been his fault. It's a pity no one was looking out for him.

Agreed, no one understands just how much inertia a moving train has. I think I mentioned this before but a pickup swung around a down gate and got slammed by a slow-moving train, it still completely cubed the pickup and one of the tires was found about 3/4's of a mile down the ROW...

[Aria]

The alzheimers part just makes it tragic for everyone involved. 3:30 to 4 AM in the morning? He probably got away from his caregivers.

[sstabeler]

yeah, it sounds like this is a literal case of a tragic accident.

Unfortunately, i highly suspect the man who had an expression of shock, horror and despair will end up quitting (assuming the statistics for the London Underground are accurate for the US (and I doubt they are higher) 1 in 3 drivers that hit someone never return to work, and quite a few others end up quitting shortly afterwards. That's where the driver was innocent of wrongdoing, incidentally, so it doesn't include cases where the driver was fired) because it is so traumatic- just remember that there was nothing that could have been done.

Oh, and incidentally, that is literal- on a perfectly clear day, with 100% visibility, the distance a train driver can see on a straight, perfectly level track is the exact same as the stopping distance for the train. If there is anything whatsoever impacting visibility- or the stopping distance- an impact is guaranteed due to the stopping distance being too long. That means that in practice, it is physically impossible for a train to stop short of hitting someone when the driver sees them.

[CyberLurch]

I had not considered the possibility of dementia. Now I feel like an ass.

[laborcat]

I had not considered the possibility of dementia. Now I feel like an ass.

Don't. We've all seen deliberate stupidity enough that we tend to think it first. I didn't think of it at first, either.

[Teysa]

Don't feel bad, Cyber. I should have mentioned the dementia iin the first place. I was still feeling pretty scattered.

[Shyla]

It is really hard on the crews after they hit someone. Around here, there has been a lot of suicides using trains, freight and commuter. Those poor drivers.

[notalwaysright]

Cyber, the first thing I thought was, "is the dog okay?" So... Yeah.

[Teysa]

Slight update, the man in question is doing better. Of course, he's still pretty banged up. But, he's alive. The dog wasn't hit. One of my coworkers calmed him down while we were waiting for medical help to arrive.

The original crew came back to work yesterday. They all seemed all right.

[wolfie]

Regarding the physics of trains, an 18 wheeler is allowed to weigh up to 40 tons gross (vehicle and cargo combined). A standard box car can carry up to 60 tons of cargo. Trains are HEAVY.

At one intermodal yard near Vancouver, the switch engine has a dozen tractor-trailer silhouettes painted under the cab window. These are "kill flags", what you'd normally expect to see on fighter planes. Yep, this engine has destroyed a dozen big rigs in collisions, and is still in service. Trains are built tough.

[Nunavut Pants]

When trains are moving at a decent speed, the air they displace can do some very odd things. It could, for instance, pull in someone who is close to the side of the train and smack them into the side of it. It could also push them the other way, of course.

I was on a commuter train, and we passed another train going the opposite direction. There was a horrible clattering banging racket for several seconds. It turned out some kids had thrown a bunch of gravel in between the trains, and the air in between them had whirled them around and bounced them back and forth, breaking a few windows and doing some damage to the train cars.

Air can be powerful stuff, particularly moving air.

[RealUnimportant]

When trains are moving at a decent speed, the air they displace can do some very odd things. It could, for instance, pull in someone who is close to the side of the train and smack them into the side of it. It could also push them the other way, of course.
<snip>
Air can be powerful stuff, particularly moving air.

Yup, this is why we still have the big yellow lines on our platforms; even a slow-moving train displaces enough air to drag you under it if you're close enough to the edge. When I was a lad, it was also to keep people from being hit by doors being opened by impatient travellers, but that's no longer possible on the majority of rolling stock and even if you do get the doors activated they mostly slide rather than swing out.

The fact the guy's recovering should make things easier for the crew; there's a big difference between knowing someone got hurt, and feeling that you killed them. Still, you don't even need to be on the train for it to affect you - one guy I used to work with was on the platform when someone decided to leap off it once. I won't tell you the details he told me, but he asked for a demotion a week later to get him away from trackside duties, and quit entirely a few months after that.