[Magdalen] Train accident

[Sally Davies]

Yes Roger! I remember now, Keith said that’s what happened. Had to wait for a new driver. 

I saw a driver from here who had hit someone messing around on the tracks. He was very traumatized. 

It seems crazy that we have tech to get a lander on Mars and waltz it about, yet cannot prevent these earthly tragedies 

Sally D 

Sent from my iPhone

> On 31 Jan 2018, at 23:43, Roger Stokes <roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com> wrote:
> 
>> On 31/01/2018 21:07, Sally Davies wrote:
>> This happened to Keith in California a few years back, his one and only trip to USA so far. Train hit a vehicle on a crossing, delayed many hours.
>> 
>> Is it a common event?
> 
> I have no idea how often it happens but there must be a lot of such crashes in the USA given the number of such crossings there are there. Some of the crossings have warning lights but others do not and drivers have to listen for trains approaching the crossing. In some cases a vehicle will be across the tracks waiting to turn onto the highway and they have nowhere to go as the train approaches. In other cases they misjudge whether they can get across before the train actually gets there. Waiting for the train to pass can mean a very significant wait given the length of trains in the USA - they are often a mile or more long. When there is a crash then there will be a significant delay for the police investigation, and quite possibly the train driver will be taken off duty immediately and another one has to be found from some distance away to let the train continue once any debris has been removed.
> 
> Roger