When I was a collision reconstructionist, I was invited by Union Pacific to ride in the cab of their E8-powered business train to get the driver's point of view on level crossings. We did a short trip, about 85 miles, through Austin and all the other towns between there and the other side of San Antonio.
I knew it happened, but was amazed at how many people went around the crossing arms and/or ignored the signals. On at least 50% of the crossings, people drove across at what I thought a very risky distance.
In the OP's incident in Midland, that was an unfortunate but understandable action when one is trying to go save a baby, and I'm very glad the officer survived.
Cheers
Thanks for that perspective, Sir.
I was not going to mention it but.....
When I first saw this news and the video I had a bit of a flashback.
So, here's a story.....
Turn back the clocks to the first day of school for the '64-'65 school year. It was the first day of Junior High School for my sisters, twins four years older than me. It was the first time I'd be walking to the elementary school to the north of our house while they would start out to the south headed for their new school. A block and a half from our house was the Erie-Lackawana Railroad Station at Arlington Station (Kearny), New Jersey. Each morning the frequent commuter trains would be taking folks to work eastbound toward New York City. The Hudson River was just about 7 miles further east. Each evening, the routes were reversed and the traffic was predominantly westbound. Early trains both morning and evening would shuttle back for a second run toward NYC.
As my sisters and I left the house, and Mom saw us off, there was suddenly a huge commotion down the street at the station. Five of my sisters' classmates had waited for a train that had stopped at the station to pull away from the crossing, then they darted past the last car much as the Deputy in the video above had done. A second train "expressing" through the crossings hit all five of them. They never had a chance.
While some of my memory of precise details this 7-year old boy witnessed have by the grace of God faded, the trauma gets new life with news of train wrecks and fatalities as often as the news is broadcast. I was relieved to hear that the incident that spawned this thread was survived.
I pray for all involved - particularly the helpless locomotive crew unable to prevent the impending collision. I pray for the Deputy, and all in his department and community of first responders - all of whom would most probably have crossed with equal haste to save a child. And, I pray that we might all come away from this news with a fresh safety awareness around railway grade crossings.
Be safe, my friends. We have too much to live for!
