Recently, a 16-year-old named Meagan Burns crossed a local railroad crossing; Broad Blvd. (a main road) and got hit.
At first it was said that she could’ve been drunk or on drugs or something in that category, now it is said that a norht bound train passed, the gates stayed down, the girl and her friend crossed, and she got hit by a southbound whcih came right after the northbound. The gates remaind down.
Her friend managed to escape alive and they haven’t had an interview with him yet. Although, there were several motorists at the crossing at the time.
One individual saying: “The one train passed and another one came. If only she had looked to the left. I looked up and she was gone. But I still saw her friend.”
Police and the city of Cuyahoga Falls are still doing research on the accident. All motorists said the gates were down when they tried to cross.
Now there is a “memorial” set up right by the xing at Broad Blvd. And the citizens of Cuyahoga Falls are blaming the railroad (CSX). They’re running a protest. They threw eggs (yes eggs) and all sorts of things at the crossing gates and block signals.
Although, I don’t believe it was the railroads fault. How would CSX know that a 16 year old female would walk out infront of an oncoming train when the gates were down??
whoa people really need to know that the girl who was killed was thinking “o my god this train is so long-o! it gone”(she climbs under gate)" hey guys u wa-"
ok now since she decided to go under the gate theres a engineer crying himself to sleep because he killed someone who didnt obay the law
Engineer and conductor adn possibly a brakeman, plus the cops and firefighters.Want a list?
Citizens blame the railroad? I hate to say it but if she would have waited or listened she’d be here and I wouldnt be writing this.
The gates stayed down because a second train was coming.Did the citizens think the railroad should set the gates to go up after the first train passed,and let the road traffic take a chance there is no second train coming?
She probably won’t get a Darwin award because of her age,but at 16 she was old enough to know better.
They are testing gates with nets that raise to physically prevent cars from crossing but I doubt there would be anything anyone could do to stop a person who insists on crossing. This is a sad reason for more education in school on the very real danger at crossings… [2c]
Do these people throw eggs at the sky when one of their own are struck by lightning? When somebody drowns because of a current and is pulled out to sea, do they throw eggs at the ocean and curse God? After all it is his sky and ocean that takes people as well. Bottom line, the girl did not obey common sense and paid the ultimate price the same as if she ignored a sign that said dangerous currents and went into the water despite the warnings…who do you blame? Nobody! The person to be blamed is gone! The family instead of acting like a bunch of tantric little kids should be concerned with the forgotten people that were involved in this…the crew. I’m sure I would feel pretty bad after hitting a kid. Oh, wait, I’m sure the family will remember all of the crewmembers…all to be named in a lawsuit.
You know what? This was the point I was trying to get through! It is stupidity!!! You don’t cross a crossing if the gates are down, regardless even if they’re malfunctioning!! Bottom line, cross when gates are up (don’t for get to look both ways) and also listen.
I guess people were saying the noise from the passed train covered up the noise of the oncoming train. I think that’s bull!!! You still can hear a loud blaring horn coming!!! I believe they’re going to have to come up with one GOOD excuse to take the crew to a lawsuit!!!
All people in this Country need to grow up and take RESPONSIBLITY FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS. Stop blaming someone/everyone else.
Just like the cup of coffee incident, you want hot coffee, you know it burns, but you accentdently spill on self, blame McDonalds. To *** Many Lawyers in this Country.
I’m involved in a lawsuit right now ,where a man who was over 3 times the legal level drunk,was killed by a second train at the crossing,after my train cleared that same crossing.The familys attorney,is the deseased man’s grandson.They are suing for millions and it is suppose to be going to court.What right do they have when the man was more than the legal limit operating a motor vehicle ?I mean I’m more than sorry all this happened,but I’ve been in the same place as the engineer(now retired)that hit the man is in,and where’s the greif for him for being put thru all of this?It sucks!I’m glad the railroads are installing railcams on their new engines to counter crossing incidents.Lawyers have run amuck with the legal system in this country.
Annother bonus of an irrational grieving family is frozen assets. I don’t know if this is happening to you macb4, but, I have worked with several guys that were named in the lawsuits along with the carrier and their personal assets were frozen during litigation. One poor soul’s were frozen for 4 years. He was found innocent, but still. That is out of control!
Not if the community where this happened has deemed themselves a “quiet zone”. There may never have been a horn sounded. A terrible, terrible idea to allow for a handful of people to sleep better by not having to hear the horn. Instead it just puts other lives in danger.
Of course, it is still no excuse. You don’t cross until the gates go up and stay up, you look both ways and it is all clear. She should’ve known better.
Gates, lights, horns or just a sign there is no reason to put your self in the path of a train. What ever happen to STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN ? This is what a bus or truck with hazardous cargo has to do at every active grade crossing with or without signals or gates.
I feel sorry for the crew and the victims family have to suffer just because she made a very bad move. It was not the railroads error, but the law suits will fly.
I live in that area and I having dated many a girl from that city[;)] This is some stuff that should be brought up. The crossing is less than a mile from the high school where 90% of th students walk home. the crossing is located adjacent to a busy highway and two heavy traffic streets. visibility of oncoming trains is decent but not good.
i understand the cities feelings. who do you blame. they don’t want to blame the deceased because they want to remember her in the best way possible so the turn to the railroad. Let the emotions simmer down and there will be no ill effects to the railroad.
andrew
This isn’t the first accident like this, this year. A 15 year old girl was killed in one of these 2 train grade crossing incidents along the BNSF main North of Northtown this past summer.
The trains didn’t jump off the rails and chase them down. They were just young, impatient, and stupid.
I’m sure there will be more. Trains, educating the public, one victim at a time.[banghead]
It sounds like that guy didn’t have a good enough lawyer. Not that I am one, but that sounds very much like a violation of his constitutional rights. Freezing his personal assets for that length of time is totally unfair, and smacks of presumed guilty until found innocent, which is totally backwards.[:0][B)]
I sure hope he turned around and sued the victim’s and their lawyer.