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No, people will never learn. The average human being is a moron. I am only sorry for the crews of trains that collide with people; the people who are killed just prove that Darwin was right. I have precisely zero pity for those who die like this... and the same for their families.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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While in certainty there have been exceptions, the occasion of railroad equipment failure or employee negligence giving rise to a grade X-ing incident is quite rare. As such, I do not normally participate in discussion of such here. However, allow me to take this opportunity to note how distracted people allow themselves to become these days. The largest source of the distractions I would dare say is from electronic playthings.
While of course we have no knowledge to what extent electronic playthings were a factor in this California incident, allow me to note that last Summer, there was one such here in town where a motorist "blew' two stop signs, then crashed into a utility pole causing that pole to fall resulting in a disruption to electric power in some of the business district, disruption of my bank's ATMs and transaction processing systems, and the BNSF grade X-ing signals. The outages resulted in disruptions lasting for about a full week.
But I guess there is one mitigating benefit to having a large SUV (reportedly the largest one GM makes) and compliance with seat belt laws; neither the driver nor two small children in the back seat were injured.
That the driver was texting on an electronic plaything was established when a match was made with the time the bank's processing system went out, and with the driver's cell phone records. There were no reports of impairment from alcohol or drugs.
That's a Darwin so far as I'm concerned.
Secondly last week when traveling into town for the CSO, because of delays arising from a grade x-ing incident, the train was directed to run non-stop from La Grange to CUS. This was clearly announced not only over the "PA", but also by a Conductor passing through each car.
Well, guess what, there was a 'carry by', and when I eventually learned that the passenger was "encased' with ear pieces likely have having 100 decibels of aural rape injected into each ear, all I could think is "another Darwin'.
At least this one resulted only with inconvenience to the passenger - "sorry 'bout that'.
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wow,Wildcat the level of your empathy is astounding to me.what does the family have to do with it?
DeeCT Member # 3241
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GBN and Train Lady --
Distracted driving is a major problem.
My son-in-laws sister (age 20 at the time and on her way home from work) lost her life calling home to inquire if they needed bread or milk. The entire accident was recorded on the answering machine until someone mercifully took the tape out. Other than the night of the accident no one in the family has ever been able to enter her house. (It sits eight years later just as it was that night.) A life lost because of a couple of minutes of distracted driving. (A family left to grieve).
Dee
Wildcat Member # 15838
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I have no patience with idiots or with the families of idiots, train lady. The saving grace is that Darwinian selection is hard at work with these clowns.
train lady Member # 3920
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so if I should think you are an idiot then your family shares the responsibility for your actions ? Is this your point?
RR4me Member # 6052
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Well, I just have to assume you consider yourself from Lake Wobegon, Wildcat?
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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Where everyone is above average?
Wildcat Member # 15838
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Yeah. Pretty much. Morons beget morons; dimwits are allowed to breed and vote. I grew up in a town criss-crossed by RR tracks. My folks said to look both ways and NEVER try to beat a train. I'm 63 now... guess I took their advice, huh?
Wildcat Member # 15838
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Oh, crews doing stupid things are the same in my world -- idiots protected by unions, usually.
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