Strange Trip

[dropdeded 0]

Got home early this morning from a trip to N.California to pick up some stuff (furniture and crap). I rode a train there. Pulled out of Fresno and apparently we hit a pedestrian. It was pretty much "damn that sucks for whoever it was", but I had no interest in finding out the details. Not that Im a cold hearted bastard, I think its just that hell, I see broken humans almost daily at work. Now, late last night Im bombin down the highway just past Oakland in a big ass U-Haul and all the sudden theres a yellow lab just be-boppin down the middle of the highway. I almost nailed it, and I can garauntee that this dog did not make it off that highway last night, traffic was moderate and movin pretty fast. The thing is, I was freekin heartbroken for that dog. There was nothing I could do, but when the train I was ridin in creamed a human, I felt "almost nothing" WTF??? Poor fuckin dog, stupid fuckin human,

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The Dude Abides.
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[AggieDave 6]

I think it comes down to the dog doesn't really know any better. A human should. Any moron understands that the train won't swerve and that they take forever to stop, even when barely moving.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[weegegirl 2]

I was riding the tube in London a few years ago and someone threw themselves in front of the train. I remember feeling very disturbed for the first 30 minutes or so. As time went on and we were still stuck there over an hour later, I remember feeling annoyed that the person had been so selfish to kill themselves on our time. Poor dog.

[MC208B 0]

yeah, it is sad when an animal gets run over. Also sad when a person ends his life. Guess the difference is the animal didn't mean to.

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

Quote

I think it comes down to the dog doesn't really know any better. A human should. Any moron understands that the train won't swerve and that they take forever to stop, even when barely moving.

I agree. In my view, there's probably never been a human being hit by a train who wasn't asking for it -- who wasn't tied down by some guy with a pencil-thin mustache. I just don't see how it happens: if you're conscious, and not whacked out of your mind, how can you not avoid being on the tracks when the train's anywhere nearby??

Here in Florida (and I'm sure it happens everywhere), I constantly see people who stop their cars on the tracks when a traffic light has cars backed up. They don't stop before the tracks and wait until there is clearance for their entire vehicle before proceeding across. Now come on, it's not pitiless of me to say that anyone who gets creamed by a train that way kinda deserves it. Not only is there a law against stopping on the tracks, it's simply against all common sense.

When I read in the paper of pedestrians hit by trains around here, it seems they were either suicides or drunks who fell asleep on the tracks (and I can't figure out how, even in a drunken stupor, the tracks seems like "the place" to pass out!).

-Jeffrey
-Jeffrey

-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[PhillyKev 0]

I know what you mean. My guess on the cause of that kind of feeling? A lot more people have done things to hurt you, piss you off, annoy you, degrade you, insult you, etc. than dogs have. So you feel worse for the dog, cause he never did anything bad to you.

[SBS 0]

I heard a story the other day from a guy who's train hit a person (He works in some capacity for the railroad, and watched the guy fly away from the impact). They stopped and looked for the body, but didn't find it. Eventually, a guy asked what they were looking for, and said, "Oh, yeah, I think that's the guy that is sitting in the bed of my truck." The guy was so fat that the impact broke a couple of ribs or something, and that was it.

Apparently Darwin lost one to dumb luck...

-S

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I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

[flyangel2 2]

I know how you feel.

While in Florida last weekend, Mailin and I missed the exit we needed to take in order to get to our hotel. We had to drive like five miles to the next exit and we were needing fuel badly. We got off an exit, and pulled into a gas station. Just as Mailing was turning off the gas pump, we hear a loud squeak of the tires from a car. You know that sound, and then you hear the big whack of two cars hitting. Only one problem, we never heard the whack of the cars. Instead the guy standing next to us at the other pump, screams "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD." and runs off into the store. Mailin and I walk to the street and there is a guy laying in the street. And there is no one else around him, in fact, cars just keep going by him. Without thinking, my old EMT training kicks in, and Mailin and I go running out to the street. Once the proper people arrive, I didn't have a problem walking away from the scene and really haven't thought much about the guy till just now.

But heck, just reading your post about the poor dog brings tears to my eyes. I hate to see any animal in pain. Maybe that's why I rescue them.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[dropdeded 0]

Just did some checking out of curiosity and according to the Fresno paper, it turns out it was a suicide. Dude layed his head on the track. After the incident the train backed up (3 hours later) to hook up with the next scheduled train and I remember the "new" engineer saying he had to releive the one operating the train before. Man, poor guy goes to work and someone decides to involve him in a suicide.

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The Dude Abides.
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[BGill 0]

I knew a guy back in high school who was with some friends, they were drunk and happened to be near some train tracks, just kinda walking around drunk having a good time. A train came and they all moved out of the way, but this one guy didn't move far enough away and the force of the train sucked him in somehow and killed him. It was a real shame.

[gordy 0]

Nothing wrong with that dude, much as it is unpleasant, the human could have avoided it.

[JustaBill 0]

I just don't see how it happens: if you're conscious, and not whacked out of your mind, how can you not avoid being on the tracks when the train's anywhere nearby??


From someone that's seen it up close I know how it happens. People are in too big of a fucking hurry. I've watched countless people stop at the downed gates, wait for me to get closer then decide to go around the gates. You have no idea how helpless you feel up there in the cab of that engine. All you can do is lay on the horn and hope they are quick enough. The ones that really piss me off are the soccer moms in mini vans full of kids that do it. I've heard from engineers that kids in the van were waving at them as the train hit. Shit like that will fuck a guy up for a long time. Sorry for the rant guys but from someone that runs the trains I feel pretty strongly on this subject.

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I've done so much, with so little, for so long
I'm now expected to do everything with nothing forever

[flyangel2 2]

That guy was a chicken shit. If he wanted to kill himself, why bring in other people.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey