On Jan 11th a teenager was killed when a Metrolink train hit him near the Passons Blvd. grade crossing in Pico Rivera. Metrolink runs on the BNSF transcon line in this area. There are no pedestrian bridges/tunnels in the area.
The radio news and newspaper accounts make it sound like the teenager did it on a dare (how close will you go to a moving train?). There is no argument that the crossing signals were working; evidently the kid walked around the gates.
A recent newspaper article (Whittier Daily News) stated that the mother of the teenager is demanding police officers at grade crossings during school hours.
The article also mentioned that another student said that kids would be less likely to do something risky/stupid if there was an adult crossing guard nearby to keep an eye on the kids.
I suppose there is some truth to that (kids would be more likely to behave), but this solution is impractical. Even if you could get volunteers to watch over kids at the crossings on school days, there are so many places where the kids could deliberately trespass and cross the tracks away from street crossings.
The personal responsibility aspect was downplayed in the article – kids need supervision because they’re kids, etc.
once agin…after the fact someone is fired up and wants to hang someones head high…and make a stink that thier should be someone thier…but what about the parents doing thier job and telling the kid not to walk around the gate…the gate is thier for a reson… they talk about perental responsibilty but yet no one wants to actuly do it
csx engineer
what ever happened to PERSONAL RESPONSABILITY! This person by being a teenager was of an age to know what was right, what was wrong, what was safe and what was dangerous. A teenager is not going to listen to a crossing guard. In fact a teenager would more than likly choose a route that would not involve a crossing guard.
I walked to school from first to third grade. My walk to school dictated that I and my friends I picked up on the way, cross what is now the Saginaw Subdivision of CSX in Mt. Morris, MI. Train schedules were such that during the walk to and from school we would encounter trains. There were no crossing guards at the tracks and guess what? Not a one of us got hit hit by the train! Somehow in the early 60’s, we understood that trains would kill you. Could it have been our parents constant warnings to be careful crossing the tracks? What a *** idea parents instructing their children. If my memory serves me, we did not even play “dare ya” by the tracks. That was reserved for the new playground at the Catholic School where I was the first to break my arm. All these years later, I can STILL remember the taste of the Ether used to put me to sleep to set my compound fracture.
Never mind the silly kids and the stupid parents, what about the poor engine crew that must be going through hell from guilt for killing a kid. They should erect a pedestrian bridge so the idiots don’t mentally torture the Metrolink crews.
You are correct, Andrew. But, even if they erect a pedestrian bridge, walkway,
whatever, there will still be stupid kids, (and stupid adults) who will go out
of their way to figure out a way to walk on the tracks.
My prayers and sympathy go with the Metrolink crew. You know they are
literally going through “hell” right now.
Junction fan you are the only one on this post who has made any sense. they all worry what this parent gonna do and that person who wants to hang you… but in the long run nobody ever ask how is the crew. the only people who ask about the crew is other crew members. we do take care of eash other even when the public is ready to hang us.
This is not a new problem (this was my turf as a roadmaster years ago)…Kids use the railroad R/W and adjoining parallell utility corridor to get to the San Gabriel River bottoms to “hang out” …The crossing is between DT Junction (UP ex SP Puente Jcn to LA Harbor line, 605 Freeway goes overhead) and the east lead to Pico Rivera Yard on the 3MT racetrack in a 1 Deg 30 Min curve… Every time the railway police started citing people, Pico Rivera & Santa Fe Springs would yell foul as loud as possible, mend the chain link fence and new holes were cut through the fence within 24 hours…(and they bypass the ped x-ing bridges because they take too long)…sorry the woman lost her son, but she is every bit as much to blame for her “stupid son” as others put it. I feel for the MetroLink train crew, the claim agent , the roadmaster and the BNSF-TM at Pico who are catching hell for the dumb act of a pedestrian…Pico errect a pedestrian bridge at this site? - Not a chance! (they are too busy pocketing the money from the B-2 / Old ford bomber plant and other industry to spend it on safety items., landscaping is more important to them.)[:(!][:(!][:(!]
Evidently the line was shut down for a couple hours after the incident while the RR and law enforcement sorted it out. No one is challenging the “dare” aspect of this, not that it makes it any easier for the crew. {Imagine driving in your car, within the speed limit, have the right of way, etc. and some clueless dolt darts out in front of you on a skateboard.}
Another disturbing outcome from all this is that some of the locals see it as an act of agression on the part of the railroad, and it fuels some form of rage within the local neighborhood.
I ride Metra Southwest Service twice a day on my daily commute. I’ve seen crossing guards posted at one grade crossing at the usual times (beginning and end of school day) because of its proximity to a school, so it is feasible to some degree. Teenagers all think that they’re immortal (this seems to be a function of youth) so I’m not sure that anything will prevent them from dangerous behavior.
There was a novel or short story a few years ago by Isabel Allende, I think, about teenagers in East LA who were always trying to prove their manhood by “racing the train”. The closer you came to being hit the better. The book was fiction but racing the train was said to be factual. Does anyone remember the book or has anyone seen racing the train for sport in LA?
I know exactly where this is because I used to live just south of it. Back in the days before we had a bad gang problem here in LA me and my buds would use the riverbed as a highway to go BMXing at Whittier Narrows north of here, the RR bridge was our rest area. The crossing is big, wide, well gated even them. Little chance of claiming “I didnt see it coming”. Crossing Guards? That would last until on
The ones they’ve built at Metrolink stations are huge and have sturdy steel screen material to prevent stuff from being dropped on the tracks; but these bridges are too expensive for cities. The bridges don’t have ramps either so it would be tough to lug a bike over them.
How about the rage/excuse that the other “surviving” kids are now justified in pelting other trains on the route with rocks and debris. I have not seen this in person (but did hear of it on another board), but then when I pass by there it is in daylight on weekends.
I’ve seen a couple of stories about studies that show that teenagers seem to have a disconnect between action and consequences. This certainly proves the theory (much like the kid who tried to see how close he could hold his head to a passing train - cited a while back here on the forum), and explains the “Superman” complex many of them seem to have.
It still doesn’t justify his actions. What’s worse it that a lot of people seem to be ignoring the value of that “teaching moment,” choosing instead to place blame on someone other than the perpetrator (“victim” is reserved for those who have no choice in their fate - like the train crew).
Well tree along with that is the enormus peer pressure we teens deal with. But I’ve learned to deal with it, being a teen myself… Always remember, we are all on a big rock orbiting the sun, it dosnt really matter. You wont know 99% of the people that went to you high school in a couple of years anyway.
I wonder how old was the kid?? If he wasn’t old enough to understand the dangers of grand xings then I could see why, he thought nothing of it. He just though oh these gates are down blocking my way, the train “LOOKS” far away I’m going to cross. But, If the kid was older he would of known hey look I shouldn’t cross these tracks. However, even adults do it because they don’t want to be inconveninced . . .etc
So inlight of this mabe there should be police officers or crossing gards at the grade xings when school gets out. Not high school, grade school kids. Lives would be saved.