Hi fellow rail fans. I live here in Delaware & follow train watching on Norfolk Southern’s Delmarva Secondary. Last week a guy was hit by a passing train - just one thing, the guy was riding on his lawn mower. Thats right. Now the guy is fine considering quite a few broken bones. What ever possed the guy to think he could beat the train through the crossing. Alcohol. And guess what. In the State of Delaware anyone who is under the influence of alcohol and riding in or on any moterized vehicle can and will be charged a DUI. So he is laid up in the hospitial and now faces DUI charges. Oh and the locomotive came away with out a scratch. So I was wondering if anybody else has any interesting stories that we all can learn from or just enjoy? Oh and if I can find the article from last weeks newspaper I will be sending it to JAY LENO for his headlines segment - not that I am trying to make fun of this guy but we all can learn from this…
What was he doing on lawn mower? Drunk?!
The last thing you need is a drunk guy mowing your lawn.
He is lucky to be alive. Don’t drink and drive (lawn mowers included)
I love Leno’s headlines[8D][:D] he should do more of them.
whats the legal limit on blood alchocol in Delaware? It’s 0.08 here.
they are out there aren’t they!
Mookie
the legal limit is .08 here in ohio now too.
stay safe
joe
OHMYGAWD this guy is S-T-U-P-I-D[:o)]
I DISAGREE COMPLETELY, this Idiot SHOULD be made fun of.
If he got killed he would be a SHOE IN for this years Darwin Award.
I’ve posted about people out here who have been killed while jogging on the tracks while wearing headphones, but this tops them.
I mean think about it.
A. He gets stupid drunk.
B. He gets on his riding lawnmover which takes a conscious decision,
“I think I’ll take the ol’ John Deere for a spin”
C. He tries to cross in front of a moving train on a vehicle that can go 5 mph tops!
“Com’on Johnny! We’re flying now”
D. Either he was stupid blind drunk or just stupid enough to think his 200lb “Johnny-what-a-rocket-Deere” could succesfully JOUST with a 2 million pound train!
Maybe he was having flashbacks to a high school reading class and was thinking he was Don Quixote and was joust with Giants, not million pound diesel powered steel behemoths.
If I had been there, they would have had to sedate me from the bouts of hysterical laughter of such a sight. I realize the guy could have killed, just sheesh!, If someone is stupid enough to do this, I can’t have any sympathy.
What a moron.[:o)]
Nothing runs (over) like a Deere
The alcohol limit in Delaware is 0.8 I think. I’m not trying to laugh or make fun of this guy but it is funny I guess. I’m just glad he was not killed. What was he doing on his lawn mower? He was mowing grass in his yard and along the track when he either wanted to cut grass on the other side of the track or something. The train was only going about 20mph when it hit him and threw him 15ft. from the rt. of way. Either he did not hear or see the train or he was to drunk to care. But in Delaware some of the houses are kinda close to the track. One in the town of Farmington is only 20 ft. from the track and was almost took out in a derailment earlier this year. The residents were very luck to say the least. Keep safe guys and remember to stop, and look before crossing the tracks on your John Deere. If you have any questions that I could answer just ask I’ll keep checking back.
Now thats a dedicated MOW worker, making sure all that pesky grass dosnt get too high in the middle of the crossings.
Stay Frosty,
Ed
20 MPH??? thats even FUNNIER!!!
Theres no way you can NOT notice a train going that slow! Its not like the train was really moving and he misjudged the speed. No, he put himself in front of a moving object that he had to know was there. Its like stepping out onto a busy street without even looking.
What a dope! He’s just as bad as the micro-brains out here that pull out in front of trains at grade crossings, get slammed and when they pull them out they always say, “I thought the train would stop for me…”
How long do you think it would take the accident lawyers to come knocking on his door? "really, it wasnt your fault, "
Surely the weed-killer train would have killed any grass within 10 feet of the tracks. Do you suppose the fool could get a life ban from using a lawnmower, and have to buy a goat.
Jon
that wouldn’t be a baaaaaad idea(sorry I couldn’t resist)[;)]
stay safe
joe
Then he and his goat could get hammered together.
I can just hear the goat,
“Daaaaad, pass me another Buuuuudd”.
Ed
Ed, Please no offence, stay with the railroad, you would make a bad stand-up comedian.
TIM A
I’ve done a train/house, train/snowmobile and a train/wheelchair accident investigation, but a lawnmomwer? The accident investigators must have had a really difficult time keeping a straight face!
A definite grade A dummy; but ineligible for Darwin awards. The following is clipped from the Darwin Awards website:
Not a Darwin (but not safe either)
- Being hit by a train or automobile
About two weeks ago, I was sitting in church, listening to the sermon, and the subject of trains came up. It was a story about a guy who was out walking and fell onto the tracks and fell asleep. He was awakened by the roar of a 96-car train(I’m not sure which road it was) flying by on top of him. He had injuries, those sustained because every truck on the train hit his arm, but other than that, he was fine. After wards he said something to the effect that he was very fortunate and knew that someone was looking out for him! I guess he so, considering he was dumb enough to be out walking by the tracks and fortunate enough to fall right in the middle of the rails! Oh well. Definitely a gem! (I love the Darwin Awards)!
MC,
Train vs HOUSE?? You have to go into a bit more detail than that. What was the house doing on the tracks? Or what were the tracks doing in the house? Or what was the train doing off the tracks and in the house?
Jeff
To VSSMITH:
I don’t know how he could have missed it. The horn is blowing, the ditch lights are on, Its the middle of a great day (last weeks weather was perfect, unlike now thanks to Iselbella) and there is a big black and white loco with a horse panted on the front coming down the track at only 20mph. He is lucky it was only the local performing switching moves. As far as accident investigaters keeping a straight face I don’t know how they could have. I guess the only thing is how must have the engineer and conductor felt watching this idiot pull out in front of them. I mean when its a car you always assume theres a chance the people are ok but when you hit a guy on a lawnmower??? Maybe the alcohol kept him limber enough not to stiffin up on impact and thats what threw him clear. Oh well.
Hey! stop making fun! mowing the ashphault has become a sport in Quebec!
As far as the goat goes maybe he could get the goat from the Adam Sandler (hope thats how he spells his last name) comedy CD. You know the one where the goat is tied up and some guys come along untie him play football with him and offer him a beer. No no wait knowing that guy he would throw the football across the tracks with the goat going after it while a train was coming. Then again he could ride the goat across the tracks while both are intoxicated. Ok sorry about that I could not resist. I’ll take my on advise and keep it about the trains. Stay safe!!!