Happened near Metropark, NJ. Amtrak and NJ Transit suspend service.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=resources/traffic&id=9295366
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=resources/traffic&id=9295366
Another pedestrian struck by Amtrak train
- Thread starter Grandpa D
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Poor Jis is stuck behind this. Glad I get off at WIL.
A single track is now open and other trains are passing through. From a brief story on TV, I believe the train involved was an Acela.
Ironically, this article was published only the day before.
Ironically, this article was published only the day before.
jis
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I am on 148 which picked up the passengers from cancelled 652 and is now running on 652's schedule. Charging right along on time so far.
fairviewroad
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Not mutually exclusive terms. "Pedestrian" simply denotes that it was someone on foot and not in a car. It's
an accurate term.
N
Nathanael
Guest
NEC tracks are fenced and have no grade crossings, so yeah. Most likely a suicide. :-(
Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
Don't rule out terrorism!
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Much of the NEC is not fenced.
Some articles use "trespasser" to convey the fact the pedestrian had absolutely no business being on the tracks and it is in no way Amtrak's fault.
When newspapers use "pedestrian", the word automatically garners sympathy. When we think of pedestrians, we think of innocent people walking across the street or on a sidewalk, and it's a shame when they get hit by a car, even if they step into traffic, because there's usually a chance a car can stop if they have a few seconds' warning. So, when that word is used for someone walking along or crossing a railroad track, people forget that trains can't stop as quickly as cars.
To make matters worse, the headlines often say "Amtrak train strikes pedestrian" instead of "Trespasser struck by Amtrak train". The first puts the pedestrian in the position of innocence, as the action is happening to them, and brings about an image of a train bearing down on someone who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The second puts them in the action spot, with the train striking them as a result of their action. It shows they clearly had no business being on the tracks and puts them, definitively, at-fault. (Obviously, there might be those .0000001% of cases where a signal fails to work or something weird like that.) If the news continued to use "trespasser" instead of "pedestrian", we might not have all this hue and cry about those evil, dangerous, speeding trains.
It seems trivial, but words are never as innocent as people think. One little tweak can change the entire meaning and perception without you even realizing it. While they were, technically, a pedestrian, trespasser is the more appropriate word. This is why news in the media - any media, whether it be print or televised - should always be taken with a grain of salt and carefully researched before forming an opinion.
If I'm 100% against high-speed trains barreling through my neighborhood, I'm going to use pedestrian, because that's going to get you on my side (especially if it's a neighborhood full of kids). Also note the use of the word "barreling" instead of "traveling".
If I'm 100% for high-speed trains and petitioning to build a fence, I'm going to say it's to keep trespassers out, because that's going to play to the anti-crime side of the audience members' brains and get them to see the person in the wrong instead of the train in the wrong.
Fun, eh?
When newspapers use "pedestrian", the word automatically garners sympathy. When we think of pedestrians, we think of innocent people walking across the street or on a sidewalk, and it's a shame when they get hit by a car, even if they step into traffic, because there's usually a chance a car can stop if they have a few seconds' warning. So, when that word is used for someone walking along or crossing a railroad track, people forget that trains can't stop as quickly as cars.
To make matters worse, the headlines often say "Amtrak train strikes pedestrian" instead of "Trespasser struck by Amtrak train". The first puts the pedestrian in the position of innocence, as the action is happening to them, and brings about an image of a train bearing down on someone who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The second puts them in the action spot, with the train striking them as a result of their action. It shows they clearly had no business being on the tracks and puts them, definitively, at-fault. (Obviously, there might be those .0000001% of cases where a signal fails to work or something weird like that.) If the news continued to use "trespasser" instead of "pedestrian", we might not have all this hue and cry about those evil, dangerous, speeding trains.
It seems trivial, but words are never as innocent as people think. One little tweak can change the entire meaning and perception without you even realizing it. While they were, technically, a pedestrian, trespasser is the more appropriate word. This is why news in the media - any media, whether it be print or televised - should always be taken with a grain of salt and carefully researched before forming an opinion.
If I'm 100% against high-speed trains barreling through my neighborhood, I'm going to use pedestrian, because that's going to get you on my side (especially if it's a neighborhood full of kids). Also note the use of the word "barreling" instead of "traveling".
If I'm 100% for high-speed trains and petitioning to build a fence, I'm going to say it's to keep trespassers out, because that's going to play to the anti-crime side of the audience members' brains and get them to see the person in the wrong instead of the train in the wrong.
Fun, eh?
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buddy559
Service Attendant
Very well written Sarah, thank you.
I agree with you Sarah 100%,wording is everything. Anyone walking across the tracks on the nec is considered a suicide mission to me. You know how fast these trains run in the area but if you want to take a chance at life then hey.
NE933
Conductor
Sarah is righ-on; words are tools of power.
Well, in Metropark I guess the unfortunate suicide hunter got his or her wish. Death by train strike is 100% guaranteed, and quick. It is the reason why about 17 years ago, during one of my severe cycles, I became suicidal and chose a location not far from there, to trespass, and stand on the center high speed track, with a headlight bearing down at me at the max. speed of 125. I had said my prayers to ask God and all the divine powers one can summon to give the engineer a fast recovery without guilt or nightmares and flashbacks.
Guess the prayer caused a reverse effect, in which I visuallized my parents, friends, and godchildren getting traumatized, and someone would have to do the horrific task of identifying something. Bodies don't stay intact when a high speed train hits them. The platform called me to come back and let the train pass without me in its way.
These are miserable times, which might explain for a spike in suicides in general, and certainly by train givin it's fail proof.
Well, in Metropark I guess the unfortunate suicide hunter got his or her wish. Death by train strike is 100% guaranteed, and quick. It is the reason why about 17 years ago, during one of my severe cycles, I became suicidal and chose a location not far from there, to trespass, and stand on the center high speed track, with a headlight bearing down at me at the max. speed of 125. I had said my prayers to ask God and all the divine powers one can summon to give the engineer a fast recovery without guilt or nightmares and flashbacks.
Guess the prayer caused a reverse effect, in which I visuallized my parents, friends, and godchildren getting traumatized, and someone would have to do the horrific task of identifying something. Bodies don't stay intact when a high speed train hits them. The platform called me to come back and let the train pass without me in its way.
These are miserable times, which might explain for a spike in suicides in general, and certainly by train givin it's fail proof.
buddy559
Service Attendant
I tried to read the second article link posted above. I got to the part about the person locking eyes with the engineer and had to stop.
That is so disturbing I have no words.
That is so disturbing I have no words.
I see that in a lot of those articles. The worst one was a story about a guy who looked at the engineer and then waved before stepping onto the tracks. I had to step away from the computer for a while. That gave me chills and really messed with my head.
Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
Do you think this could have been a case of murder, as if someone was killed then thrown on the tracks to make it look like a suicide?
Acela150
Super Buff
Is it me, or everytime a trespasser death happens we have a "trespasser vs. pedestrian" conversation??
Ive locked eyes with a person and that's a image I will never forget. Coming at such great speed wondering what this person going to. Lucky he moved but I still remember his face
Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
Could be murder. Probably not terrorism now that I think about it.
L
laura
Guest
I was there. 45 minutes late for work, very hard to get answers while the boards read the trains were on time, AND they started trains up before the body parts were covered. Not what I planned on seeing out the window during my ride before trying to sell food at my restaurant.... horrible occurrence of events for all parties.
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