I don’t believe it is anything more than ignorance at play in the heavy majority of such events. I can’t imagine that a sensible person would make a mistake of this nature fully aware of the physics and realities of being close to moving trains 12K’ long. It must be that or distraction/inattention. Of course, there are those sad people who have other intentions.
I’ll be uncharitable and speculative. This looks like five kids playing chicken, with the video stream to ‘prove it’ … who will be the last to dodge the train? One of them was just a bit too slow.
In this age of the Laughing Game and daring other people to roll under moving railcars, why should this be surprising?
The conductor? The media strikes again.
On the other hand, I’m frequently asked who’s running the train if I’m on it, in uniform, as the conductor…
Perhaps the public believes that engineers are a vanishing breed? Or, even a vanished breed?
https://www.up.com/media/releases/170815-interactive-safety-campaign.htm
https://www.up.com/media/releases/160406-photo-safety-telly-award.htm
Tragic…
https://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/selfie-tragedy-12-7-2016.htm
Some people have to learn the hard way.
regards, Ed
About a week or so back, my wife stumbled onto a local eatery’s website. Apparently a wedding photographer also works out of that place working wedding receptions that are booked there. The place backs up close to the MILW tracks out of CUS and the pictures for one of the weddings were taken on the tracks near a grade crossing, which almost caused me to have a stroke. The blurb claimed that the location was safe since the “alarm system” (crossing gates, lights and bells) would give them ample warning of an oncoming train. I mentioned to my wife that the gates are generally activated 30 seconds in advance of the train, which is hardly enough time to get off the tracks when a formal photograph is being posed and shot. She agreed with my comment that this is a stupid accident waiting to happen.
what a horrible needless tragedy. Does Operation Lifesaver go into classrooms? How can you educate kids about this? Not a railroader - just a fan - but - know enough to stay away from tracks at any time.
Recently stopped on a 2 lane road when the red flashers went on for a single track… guy behind me flipped me off and passed me - but the gates came down - and he wound up stopped in the wrong lane of traffic. Better to wait for a few minutes.
Saw that before and was looking for it on the UP website when I found the two press releases I linked to above. The selfie story is unbelievably sad and should be propagated to high schools and middle schools everywhere. Not that I think it will have a blanket effect, but every reminder is worth something.
You have to somehow get past the usual teen attitude (which is hardly limited to the current generation) that they are bulletproof and “it can’t happen to me.”
About 7 or 8 years ago, around 10pm on the outskirts of Omaha, we came around a curve on main track two. A good thing, since some photographer had his tripod set up in the middle of main track one. Most of the time, then and now, we usually cross over from two to one a couple of miles before that location. Had we crossed over that night there might have been some interesting pictures, assuming the camera and/or photographer could be salvaged.
Jeff