Lion, you were misled. We have diabetics in all walks of life, right from medicine (itself) right down to diggers of ditches. Epilepsy is one disorder that is cause for some harsh scrutiny at the licensing offices, but not diabetes. If I have it correctly, diabetics are even allowed to be in uniform in Canada, although it may not be possible to accommodate their disability as combat troops, aircrew, and on submarines. For most occupations in uniform, though, diabetes should not be an obstacle. At one time, maybe 20 years ago, a diagnosis of diabetes meant the end of one’s career in the Armed Forces in Canada because at the most basic level of bona fide operational demand, every person, bar none, had to be able to put their weapons training into effect and stand guard at a base’s perimeter for extended hours when security warranted it. Diabetics could not be counted on to work effectively for extended periods in all types of weather, with little or no sleep, food, or even relief, and still overcome the strictures of their malady. So, they would be medically boarded and released in almost every case. Not so much these days.
Lion, that’s not entirely true. According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, people with diabetes can get a driver’s license and can even drive commercial vehicles. It is up to the person’s doctor to determine if the patient’s diabetes is severe enough to affect his/her ability to drive. Has the diabetes affected other organs which may cause a collapse or fainting or blackout, has the diabetes affected the eyesight, is the person at risk for having hypoglycemic incidents, and many more factors. If the doctor determines that the patient presents no risk on the road, he/she can get a driver’s license. Otherwise, the doctor will contact the motor vehicle licensing people to have the person’s driver’s license revoked. This applies to many medical conditions which may affect driving–heart conditions, epilepsy, stroke and others. The short medical questionnaire on the license application and renewal forms doesn’t ask if the applicant has diabetes.
[:-^] This is another very sad incident, but I had to have a small chuckle reading Phoebe’s post as just this week we have had a thread about street running. If people can’t handle a crossing how in God’s green earth do they handle street running ???
From the pictures I saw the bus hit the locomotive just to the left and slightly back of it’s pilot. (conductor’s side)
Any one of us can have a medical issue at anytime. Even an ECG only tells you the state of your heart until you walk out the door of the office.
Speaking from experience, it is a very difficult thing to remove ones self from a job you love. I spent 36 years in transportation logistics for the Government of Canada. I became a member of the “million mile club” years ago. I never did have an accident.
I was loaned out for all sorts of special projects on vehicle evaluation and testing. Lots of time on the test tracks putting vehicles of all sizes through there paces. The job was fun to say the least. When the severe pain of Arthritis started to affect my performance I knew the writing was on the wall. I really started to lose my finesse at the wheel and also was less aware of what was going on around me. Whether on the public roadways or moving specialized equipment up to large aircraft at Airports I could see I was not at my full game.
I spent most of my career being the safety “Attila the Hun” and was instrumental in removing a few from the road. One co-worker that slipped through the cracks, hid the fact he had terminal cancer. His outward appearance changed little in the six months he was sick. He dropped dead at the wheel of an eighteen wheeler and crashed through a house. He loved his job and did it till the end. Fortunately this time no one was injured.
So I practiced what I preached and called it quits. Besides I had a railroad to build.
Unfortunately like so many elderly people, people with medical issues can refuse to see the reality and seriousness of the situation and just continue putting others lives at risk.[sigh]
I don’t know about Canada,But in the US,You must have a certified Medical card,not more than two years old in your possession,along with a CDL, Commercial Drivers License,for any vehicle over 26,000 lbs and must have that Medical card updated every two years by the DOT…They are very strict on that,here in the states… They have minimum requirements that must be met,like blood pressure,can not exceed 160,before and after running…I have never run into any doctor,that would risk his profession to falsify that card either…45 yrs,driving driving a truck,US and Canada and that is how I found out I had high blood pressure and it took me ten years,to finally go to the VA Hospital to find out why on the tests for my Medical card,they were finding traces of blood in my urine, 1999,I had a Bladder Operation,for I had Bladder Cancer…So far I’m clean…
First, in the United States, buses and vechicals carrying hazardous materials must stop at the crossing, and listen to hear if a train is coming. Second, the driver had to hit the crossing gate before he hit the train, and he hit the side of the train, the train didn’t T-bone him. Third, the town shouldn’t pass laws banning safety measures like blowing the horn at a crossing. Third, don’t try to beat a train, it will win, you are only 200 pound verus a TRAIN, which is several hundred tons (at least) of metal rolling at high speeds. It is obvious!
We may never know what really caused this tragic accident. All we can do is speculate and hope that the investigation will shed some light on what caused this all to occur. But it’s not the first time a vehicle has broadsided a train. As another poster mentioned, there are Youtube videos of cars running headlong into the sides of trains for reasons that baffle the brain (Youtube is filled with human stupidity when it comes to human and train interaction…). Let’s face it, those of us who have been railfans for any amount of time can share many stores of sheer boneheadedness carried out by motorists, cyclists, skateboarders, runners, general pedestrians etc etc towards trains. For some strange reason, despite their imposing size, bulk, noise, speed and the physical feeling/sensation of sheer power as they roll by, it seems that people who know little about trains treat them with such little respect.
Thoughts and prayers to all those affected by this accident.
Spatial disorientation is another problem usually associated with pilots. However it can effect people doing just about anything. It was discussed extensively in some of my driving courses. There are many things that can happen to cause this. I am certainly not qualified to talk about it, however it can make for some interesting reading.
I have experienced it both flying a plane and driving and it is a very unsettling experience to say the least. I think most people that read up on it will say " I remember that happening to me once". When I was flying it was done on purpose with an instructor next to me. It was to teach me to believe my instruments and not what I saw out the window.
How many have driven somewhere and don’t remember the trip? Or forget where they were going…
No one is immune from these things happening to them and they go unnoticed unless disaster strikes.
The last ten years of my life and a few times before then,whether driving or walking,I do remember the trip,I have a problem remembering why I took the trip,to begin with…
All kidding aside,After reading all about it,I still have this eerie feeling,that it may have been intentional…
There are fewer mainline grade crossings today than there were several years ago because of intentional grade crossing elimination projects and because so many of our former mainlines are now abandoned. I’ve been working over the former RF&P for over 25 years and have NEVER experienced a car/train collision in Ashland, VA, where the double track mainline goes right down the middle of a main street. But in smaller towns with far less busy streets, we’ve hit more than I can count. I think it’s because in Ashland the people are used to seeing the trains frequently, and at all hours. They grow up knowing that the train is likely to be coming and they know to stay out of the way. In towns where the trains aren’t so in-your-face, people are much more casual and dismissive of the trains. They get complacent & it bites 'em in the butt.
Another recent news story news had some interesting press coverage. One headline said a train derailed and hit a truck. Another headline said the truck was hit by the train, which derailed after impact. Supposedly this was the same incident.
And Frank, congrats on your recovery. Sounds like prospects for the future are bright. Glad to hear it.
Thanks for the, congrats,still keeping my toes crossed,I say toes cause,i have to sit on my hands,to stop from,waving at everybody,now if my glucoma,don’t get any worse,I’ll be alright,I really could probably use a new Vehicle,but I havn’t found a dealership yet that sell’s them…[(-D]
Something like this happened on a steam excursion my wife and I took in 2007. On our return trip, where the steamer had to tow us tender-first, a farmer towing a 5 ton trailer with his 5 ton gravel truck paused briefly at his essentially private crossing and then proceeded to cross directly in front of us. The whistle became very shrill when the hogger saw what was about to happen, but he had just dumped the air when the tender collided with the midsection of the trailer. There was almost no damage done to the hay trailer, none to the truck (the tow bar buckled at its ball), and the tender ended up with a bent stirrup.
Poop happens. Sometimes it’s fatal. Sometimes it’s fatal several times over.
Excursion trains seem to attract weird kinds of hoopla for some reason. I was on the Alberni Heritage Steam Train a year or so back (yes Crandell, quite nearby to you) when they had to stop the train on its return leg to ‘help’ a drunken sleeping native off the tracks. I’ve never seen a costumed conductor quite that irritated before…
Sorry Rastafarr but I take umbrage to your statement as it is of the type that perpetuates stereotypes.
You seem to suggest that because the person looked Native that it was assumed he or she was drunk and sleeping. Did you know for certain that this person was not suffering from a diabetic episode or a stroke?
I would hope that the “help” that was offered included calling for medical assistance.