Fatality on 29(4)

[DCAKen]

A trespasser was hit in Rockville MD about five minutes after passing my office window. This also delaying the afternoon MARC trains.

Washington Post article

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

This trains hitting trespassers is just getting worse and worse. Every day! The question is, why is it getting worse, and what can we do to eliminate the chance of trains hitting trespassers?

 

[ScouseAndy]

I dont understand why in built up areas the train companies arent legally required to fence off the rails, I get due to the vastness of the states it would be impossible to fence them off completely but in towns and cities it would be possible, we manage it in Europe and have far more miles of tracks in cities.

 

[PVD]

Risk mitigation is modeled/analyzed using the Haddon Matrix and its offspring. Think: Environment/Engineering, Education, Enactment, Enforcement A combination of all.

 

[John Bobinyec]

This trains hitting trespassers is just getting worse and worse. Every day! The question is, why is it getting worse, and what can we do to eliminate the chance of trains hitting trespassers?

Nothing can be done to ELIMINATE the chance other than to stop running trains.

jb

 

[PVD]

If you require a fence, and someone crawls through a hole in it, our system holds you responsible for not maintaining the fence. Why do we want to keep shifting the cost burden away from the people who are doing something wrong and make someone responsible. Fences don't help. People climb over them and cut holes in them.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

This trains hitting trespassers is just getting worse and worse. Every day! The question is, why is it getting worse, and what can we do to eliminate the chance of trains hitting trespassers?

Check this out and then let me know if it is indeed getting worse and worse (no, I did not read it myself).

http://oli.org/about-us/news/statistics

Here's something I found from a link on the above mentioned website

http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/Query/castally4.aspx

Things don't appear to be getting worse and worse. It's more likely YOU are hearing about them more and more.

 

[MikefromCrete]

This trains hitting trespassers is just getting worse and worse. Every day! The question is, why is it getting worse, and what can we do to eliminate the chance of trains hitting trespassers?

This has been happening since the first train ran on the first track. People take stupid chances. Today is no worse than the past.

 

[zephyr17]

I dont understand why in built up areas the train companies arent legally required to fence off the rails, I get due to the vastness of the states it would be impossible to fence them off completely but in towns and cities it would be possible, we manage it in Europe and have far more miles of tracks in cities.

And I don't understand why that should be necessary. It isn't like the trains go off the tracks and chase people down. If you aren't on the tracks, you aren't going to get hit. Period.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Out of control train leaves tracks and chases down innocent pedestrian! Tape @ 11!!!

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

This trains hitting trespassers is just getting worse and worse. Every day! The question is, why is it getting worse, and what can we do to eliminate the chance of trains hitting trespassers?

This has been happening since the first train ran on the first track. People take stupid chances. Today is no worse than the past.

IMHO, its that the news of such, travels faster and further than in past years. For example, someone hit by a train might make the next day's local paper, but today, within seconds, its posted here.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

How in the heck is it even decreasing? I hear about trains hitting people at least once a week.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

How in the heck is it even decreasing? I hear about trains hitting people at least once a week.

Did you read the post above yours?Back in the dark ages, 1980's, we didn't hear about pedestrian strikes that happened in another state and if we lived in a large state we probably didn't hear about all the ones in our own state.

 

[Cina]

There used to be more. And now there are less. But there are still a lot. And the internet means we hear about them more.

 

[afigg]

How in the heck is it even decreasing? I hear about trains hitting people at least once a week.

If you follow the link that was provided above to the FRA Office of Safety Analysis statistics and enter a query for Amtrak only, trespasser fatalities from January to December 2015, Amtrak was involved in 81 such fatalities in 2015. So even limiting to just fatal incidents, it happens more than just once a week on average.

The stats going back to 1981 show that there has been a major decrease in the number of grade crossing collisions and fatalities & injuries over the years. The trend line for grade crossing incidents has leveled off and gone up and down in recent years. (see http://oli.org/about-us/news/collisions-casulties). However, the efforts to reduce trespasser fatalities have been less successful and there has been a net increase in trespasser fatalities in the past few years. Lots of questions as why that is and what can be done to reduce them.

 

[Alexandria Nick]

I dont understand why in built up areas the train companies arent legally required to fence off the rails, I get due to the vastness of the states it would be impossible to fence them off completely but in towns and cities it would be possible, we manage it in Europe and have far more miles of tracks in cities.

A lot of them are and it doesn't stop people. Not far from my place, there's even barbed wire on top to keep people from trying. That just means you get to see an old blanket over the barbed wire every once in a while.

I'd even wager that once or twice a week, I hear CSX blasting away on the horn at night because they're honking at trespassers.

 

[chakk]

Suicide by train is, unfortunately, a very common occurence in urban upper middle-class communities. Until the underlying reasons why people feel they must check out from Life can be effectively addressed, the deaths will continue. Fence off all ROW? Those that want to die will then step in front of fast moving trains at station platforms or grade crossings. Palo Alto, Calif hired security guards to sit by grade crossings on the south side of town after 4 student suicides by train. So two weeks ago a college freshman stepped in front of a fast moving train on the north side of town.

 

[PeeweeTM]

chakk could be from the Netherlands. We got more fences and suicides last year. And some changes in health insurrance (less coverage) and new ideas of mentally ill people living among the 'sane' (any happy Republican voters here?) with limited supervision. We have around five 'mentally derailed' persons per day collected from platforms and railway crossings by the police. About 325 killed last year (precise number somewhere at home), couple of weeks ago four on one day, almost always likely suicide. People getting killed in an railway accident are very rare in the Netherlands.

 

[KmH]

How in the heck is it even decreasing? I hear about trains hitting people at least once a week.

At 909 trespassers hit and killed in 2015 according to those Operation Lifesaver numbers that's an average 2.5 people per day.

As mentioned above many such incidents are only local news and aren't widely reported, and AU would tend to focus visibility on trespass casualties because it's a rail passenger forum.

 

[niemi24s]

At 909 trespassers hit and killed in 2015 according to those Operation Lifesaver numbers that's an average 2.5 people per day.

According to Post #15 data, Amtrak was involved in 81 or 9% of those 909 fatalities in 2015 for an average of 0.22 people per day or 1 fatality every 4½ days.

 

[tricia]

Overall, suicides have increased in the US in recent years. From a CDC study:

• From 1999 through 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States increased 24%, from 10.5 to 13.0 per 100,000 population, with the pace of increase greater after 2006.

Here's a link to the CDC page I've quoted: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db241.htm

 

[Bob Dylan]

Overall, suicides have increased in the US in recent years. From a CDC study:

• From 1999 through 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States increased 24%, from 10.5 to 13.0 per 100,000 population, with the pace of increase greater after 2006.

Here's a link to the CDC page I've quoted: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db241.htm

Sad! And this the best place to live in most people's opinions!

 

[FormerOBS]

I don't know the exact location, but I believe there's a lot of fencing, limited access, and alternate walking routes in the Rockville area, FWIW.

Tom

 

[Thirdrail7]

How in the heck is it even decreasing? I hear about trains hitting people at least once a week.

Did you read the post above yours?

The answer is obvious....and typical.

I dont understand why in built up areas the train companies arent legally required to fence off the rails, I get due to the vastness of the states it would be impossible to fence them off completely but in towns and cities it would be possible, we manage it in Europe and have far more miles of tracks in cities.

i don't understand why that should be a requirement. We do not legal require a fence around the ocean to keep people from drowning(although around these parts, you do have to fence in your backyard if you have a pool,). Nor do we legally require every road to have a fence around it except at designated crossings. Why should you single out a train, which is on a dedicated right of way.

 

[Triley]

How in the heck is it even decreasing? I hear about trains hitting people at least once a week.

Did you read the post above yours?

The answer is obvious....and typical.

I dont understand why in built up areas the train companies arent legally required to fence off the rails, I get due to the vastness of the states it would be impossible to fence them off completely but in towns and cities it would be possible, we manage it in Europe and have far more miles of tracks in cities.

i don't understand why that should be a requirement. We do not legal require a fence around the ocean to keep people from drowning(although around these parts, you do have to fence in your backyard if you have a pool,). Nor do we legally require every road to have a fence around it except at designated crossings. Why should you single out a train, which is on a dedicated right of way.

This is another time I wish there was a "like" feature on AU (hint hint). I wouldn't be able to like everything another this post enough.