I was just told by my grandma that a woman tried to commit suicide this morning on the BNSF’s Brookfield Sub in the area of New Cambria, Missouri. I’ve put in a couple calls to co-workers on that sub, but nothing has been returned.
A couple of years ago a young woman, apparently distraught about a break-up, waited for a train on the BNSF’s Hinckley Sub at the Hwy. 22 grade-crossing in Cedar, MN, right over near where I live. She pulled across in front of a BNSF freight and was killed. Witnesses saw her waiting in the gravel parking lot there that used to be used for MOW equipment. Horrible.
It would be nice if these were isolated incidences, however, I am certain amongst all the carriers and all the territories that are traverse this is a daily or more frequent threat across the US.
While I personally cannot comprehend the despair that brings on the urge for suicide, to do it by train has to be one of the worst ways to pull it off, and if the attempt is only ‘partially successful’ leaves the person mangled for life (however, long or short it may be from that point forward).
I suspect that a number of the train/vehicle collisions at road crossings are really unstated suicide attempts.