OK - I don’t get it? I just heard on the news that a mother and son were ‘hiking’ on train tracks near Truckee today and were both struck by a train… (it’s winter, Truckee is in Northern California, at about 6,000 ft elevation, it has been snowing for a week or more up here, and there are white out conditions) say what? I thought maybe I heard wrong, maybe they were lost and following the tracks to get out, but nope. Hiking. What is it that I don’t understand? amazing…
ask some people what damage is done by snowmobiles and atvs to railroad tracks and switches.a dad had his suv parked near the tracks here in defiance.what were they doing? looking for praying mantis pods for sons science project.if the crew didn’t stop they would have gotten a lesson in physics as well.I just feel bad for the crew of the train.
stay safe
joe
Why is this so surprising? Tresspassing and walking on railroad tracks in the US is all too common, to say the least. Many people don’t realize that what they are doing is extremely dangerous until they’re dead or maimed for life and suing the railroad. Common sense is in very short supply these days…[banghead]
If people would realize that trains DO run on the tracks it wouldn’t be that big a problem. But you do have to keep your ears open if you walk on the tracks. Face it, you can’t stop people out in the middle of nowhere from walking on the tracks, and you DON’T want that much police presence out in the toolies. There was a story in one of these forums about some guy getting fined for walking 100 feet or so on the tracks to cross to his own land. The railroad AND the courts had better things to do than fool with that. Also, if the law said that if you got hurt walking on the tracks or hopping a freight you can’t sue and it’s YOUR problem, then the railroads wouldn’t worry about us railfans so much.
Yeah I agree - So much for common sense. A follow up story on the news said that the mother and son thought it was a trail (?) in near white-out conditions. I thought for sure they may have been lost but not according to the news. I also agree with you that if you’re on the tracks and something happens, you lose your right to sue. Unfortunately, the courts support the ‘everyone’s a victim’ mentality. What about personal responsibility? I think even in a snow storm I could tell the difference between a trail and train tracks. Have a good nite.
What were those fools doing hiking at 6000 feet in “near white out conditions”? Didn’t they at least have the brains to check the forecast before they set out? Or were they tourists instead of locals, who you would think would be smarter than that?