Another Train 59 vs vehicle incident, this in Yazoo City

[jacorbett70]

From local TV station in Jackson MS:

A man was killed Saturday when his truck collided with an Amtrak train, authorities said. Relatives of (the 73-year-old victim) said his vision was bad, and that he may have played a role in the crash."He doesn't drive fast. He's a slow driver, and the train runs too fast from right there to right here. (It's) got to stop there in Yazoo City, so why run so fast in a little town as small as this town is?" the victim's nephew said.

http://www.wapt.com/news/30323588/detail.html

 

[Nickrapak]

Instead of the train slowing down, how about not driving if your vision is that bad?

That being said, my condolences to both the family of the victim, as well as the train crew.

 

[Henry Kisor]

Condolences all around. Old folks gamely hang on to what remains of their youth, no matter the consequences. It's often very difficult for families to step in and take away the car keys that represent the last shreds of independence.

 

[lthanlon]

Condolences all around. Old folks gamely hang on to what remains of their youth, no matter the consequences. It's often very difficult for families to step in and take away the car keys that represent the last shreds of independence.

My grandmother showed up one day, announced she no longer felt confident driving, and handed my mom the keys to her Oldsmobile. Grandma stayed independent, she just didn't drive after that -- and she recognized the difference. Driving our grandparents to the store, around the county hunting down garage sales, or just motoring to get out of the house never was a chore. Whenever I would drive Grandma, I would fondly remember all the times she drove us kids to the movies or to picnics in the mountains, or the time she let Mom borrow her Volkswagen for a month. Not to go all Disney, but it felt completely natural -- one of those circle of life deals.

 

[transit54]

Condolences all around. Old folks gamely hang on to what remains of their youth, no matter the consequences. It's often very difficult for families to step in and take away the car keys that represent the last shreds of independence.

I think what's truly sad is that in 95% of this country, loosing car keys does mean loosing the last shreds of independence. There's absolutely no reason why it needs to be this way.

 

[lthanlon]

I think what's truly sad is that in 95% of this country, loosing car keys does mean loosing the last shreds of independence. There's absolutely no reason why it needs to be this way.

As long as gaining the car keys as a teenager continues to be a rite of passage, the stigma of no longer being able to drive will persist.

 

[RailRide]

I think what's truly sad is that in 95% of this country, loosing car keys does mean loosing the last shreds of independence. There's absolutely no reason why it needs to be this way.

As long as gaining the car keys as a teenager continues to be a rite of passage, the stigma of no longer being able to drive will persist.

Even that rite of passage may be on the decline.

---PCJ

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Condolences all around. Old folks gamely hang on to what remains of their youth, no matter the consequences. It's often very difficult for families to step in and take away the car keys that represent the last shreds of independence.

I think what's truly sad is that in 95% of this country, loosing car keys does mean loosing the last shreds of independence. There's absolutely no reason why it needs to be this way.

I'm assuming you're referring to the lack of clean, efficient, and timely public transportation, which I certainly agree with. However, it goes way beyond that. There are services especially setup for old people who can't drive anymore, but what about us younger folks who want to make it home in one piece after a night of partying? For instance, why does a generic broken-down taxi cab cost $80-100 round trip to go anywhere of significance in a large city?! Why should a ten minute taxi ride to the nearest train station cost the same as the 300 mile train trip you're about to board?! I seriously do not understand why we continue to put up with this.

 

[Big Iron]

A somewhat rhetorical question, what percentage of Amtrak engineers have experienced a fatality during their career? Given the number of crossing and trespassing accidents I would expect the number to be fairly high.

 

[Donctor]

A somewhat rhetorical question, what percentage of Amtrak engineers have experienced a fatality during their career? Given the number of crossing and trespassing accidents I would expect the number to be fairly high.

I assume all have run over an animal of some sort.

 

[DET63]

Relatives of (the 73-year-old victim) said his vision was bad, and that he may have played a role in the crash.

You think?

 

[Darlene]

I was a passenger on that train. My prayers go out to the family. It was a scary time. Thank God it didn't cause us to derail. More lives could of been lost. Regardless of weather the guards came down or not I do know the train had started slowing down. As we were approaching our stop in Yazoo City. Also the conductor was blaring the horn for every crossing. So sad that a life was lost. Hope it's an eye opener for others to look twice! By the way Amtrak treated us very professional. Making sure we were as Comfortable as possible and informed us with every update. Could of been so much worst.

 

[Ispolkom]

By the way Amtrak treated us very professional. Making sure we were as Comfortable as possible and informed us with every update. Could of been so much worst.

That's great to read! A big complaint about Amtrak is that when things go badly, passengers are left completely in the dark.

 

[GaSteve]

I was a passenger on that train. My prayers go out to the family. It was a scary time. Thank God it didn't cause us to derail. More lives could of been lost. Regardless of weather the guards came down or not I do know the train had started slowing down. As we were approaching our stop in Yazoo City. Also the conductor was blaring the horn for every crossing. So sad that a life was lost. Hope it's an eye opener for others to look twice! By the way Amtrak treated us very professional. Making sure we were as Comfortable as possible and informed us with every update. Could of been so much worst.

It wasn't the conductor operating the horn, it was the engineer. The conductor was likely at a vestibule somewhere preparing to open it for passengers at the station stop.

 

[George Harris]

I think what's truly sad is that in 95% of this country, loosing car keys does mean loosing the last shreds of independence. There's absolutely no reason why it needs to be this way.

As long as gaining the car keys as a teenager continues to be a rite of passage, the stigma of no longer being able to drive will persist.

It has nothing to do with a teenage "rite of passage" and everything to do with being able to go to the store or doctor or whatever when you need to without having to get someone else to get you there and back. To say that "there is absolutely no reason it needs to be this way" is ignoring geographic and economic realities for many of the lower density populated areas.

The why a person has to lose their keys can vary widely form person to person. Some states also issue limited driver's licenses for those with declining abilities, such as "Daytime only" or "No freeway driving". It is impractical for laws to cover all cases.

A couple of examples: My father limited his driving the last few years of his life to daytime, about a two mile radius from home, and avoidance of the major highway in the area because he recognized his diminshing ability to see well, react fast enough, and control the vehicle sufficiently to go beyond about 30 mph. he did not have to have the keys taken. He quit driving when he felt he could no longer manage safely. Another person I knew had to have the keys taken because he refused to recognize his diminishing ability and began to drive more agressively as his ability declined. This peson could have passed any ability and driving test long after he became a danger to all those around him. His stepson first took the keys and ultimately had to disable the vehicle as teh man continued to come up with keys he had hidden. On the other hand, my father was safe on the roads he allowed himself to go on long after any commonly used test would have caused him to lose his license.

* * *

It is also possible if the lights were flashing and the horn was blowing that the person chose suicide by train. He could also have been deaf or very hard of hearing and could have been distracted by other things. There are many things here that we simply do not know.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

In my experience both the very young and very old are equally adept at objectively judging their own abilities.

Speaking of solutions, France has timely and efficient mass transit while Texas has "Silver Alerts."

Eat your heart out "old Europe!"

 

[Darlene]

I was a passenger on that train. My prayers go out to the family. It was a scary time. Thank God it didn't cause us to derail. More lives could of been lost. Regardless of weather the guards came down or not I do know the train had started slowing down. As we were approaching our stop in Yazoo City. Also the conductor was blaring the horn for every crossing. So sad that a life was lost. Hope it's an eye opener for others to look twice! By the way Amtrak treated us very professional. Making sure we were as Comfortable as possible and informed us with every update. Could of been so much worst.

It wasn't the conductor operating the horn, it was the engineer. The conductor was likely at a vestibule somewhere preparing to open it for passengers at the station stop.

SORRY, engineer or conductor?? Regardless, I do remember him (or her) blowing the horn and we had already slowed down from what speed we had been going. I am truly thankful more people weren't killed or injured. Maybe we'll be able to quit pointing fingers and determine how can it be prevented from happening again!

 

[Darlene]

By the way Amtrak treated us very professional. Making sure we were as Comfortable as possible and informed us with every update. Could of been so much worst.

That's great to read! A big complaint about Amtrak is that when things go badly, passengers are left completely in the dark.

Soon as we stopped, they announced there was a serious accident. We were then all moved to the far back car's and this was done in a calm professional way. We had loss electricity, therefore they had us shut the curtains to keep the sun out. They brought us bottles of water, cups of ice and a little later, snacks. We were asked to remain seated and stay calm and thus not cause more heat to be stirred up by our getting up and moving around. They announced any and all updates as they got them. When the buses came, we were escorted to them and then when arriving in Jackson, we were given lunch from McAlister's. I felt very pleased in how they handled what could of been a very serious situation for the passengers! An inconvience - YES, but things could of been much worst..!