Western Railroad Discussion > 17 Year Old Girl Loses Legs On BNSF Front Range Sub

I heard this on the radio as I left work this afternoon... 17 year old girl and three friends reportedly attempted to climb on a northbound empty coal train at 3rd Street & Atwood in Longmont. The girl fell under the train and lost both legs.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/29085910/detail.html

Sorry I can't have remorse for someone who does something like this. I wouldn't expect someone to have any for me if this was me. I do hope she recovers.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/11 18:32 by MRL.

I understand why maybe a 7-15 year old would do such a silly thing, but a 17-20 year old, crazy!. She is going to miss a lot of school and the cost of the rehabilitation could dash her dreams of a degree. I hope she recovers also, and I hope this reminds the young people on this board that you are not invincible or bullet proof or incapable of bad judgement. Think twice around any type of railroad equipment or tracks, and life you save could be your own!
CWR

Well I do have remorse for someone who does something like this. She was just a kid that thought she was invisible in life and that nothing bad ever happens. I was like her once upon a time. But was very lucky that nothing ever happen to me, I did go to the hospital a few times but only left with extra bandages and stitches. And for the judging I do not even want to touch that.

bnsfmodeler Wrote:
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> ...thought she was invisible in life...

Invisible?

invisible, Not every one stays home and plays with model trains. So I know you have no clue of what I'm talking about, do not worry I understand.

I don't think you can have remorse for someone else. You can have sympathy and/or concern for them, which I surely do in this case. What a horrible, life changing event for a 17 year old girl. Whether it's texting while driving or hitching a ride on a train, teens (and people in general these days) don't think ahead as to what consequences could result from a seemingly (at the time) harmless action.

We talking invisible or invincible here? === === = === JLH

DD40 Wrote:
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> bnsfmodeler Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ...thought she was invisible in life...
>
> Invisible?


Either he meant she was depressed and it was a suicide or he meant "invincible". Either way it will be a tough burden for her and her family.

A lot of us have done some crazy things while growing up, including some hopping moving trains. Then we say, I can't believe I did that! She played the game and lost. I pray she gets better and continue on with her life and not let this stop her from pursuing her goals.

OK I really fill sorry for you guys. Did you ever own a sports cars and push it to it limits. If not you will never understand what I'm talking about man I really fill sorry for some of you almost as sorry as I fill for the girl, Again almost.

It hard for me to fill sorry, give me a break.

Read some of the comments on Yahoo under this story. Consensus seems to be she got what she deserved.

Adam

SuperC Wrote:
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> Read some of the comments on Yahoo under this
> story. Consensus seems to be she got what she
> deserved.
>
> Adam


Karma is going after these people fast and hard. They will never see it coming!

i did a lot of stupid things but i never did anything stupid around the railroad ... my father was a conductor and told me too many horror stories about trains and kids ... the one horror story that rings in my mind that i never forgot was when he was a kid he and a cpl friends were going to see their friend who lived across the tracks ... it was a busy passenger mainline that ran in the mornings inbound and evenings outbound with 2 tracks which were on a fill that they had to climb up to cross the tracks ... i think i remember him saying they were around 8 or 10 years old and his one friend had his 5 year old sister with them ... as they got up the hill to track level they saw a train coming down the tracks ... he said they hurried across the tracks and as they did the little girl dropped her stuffed doll on the track the train was on and not thinking like the 5 year old she was she stopped bent down to pick it up and got hit by the train and killed her ... he said it never left him ... he always had that in back of his mind ... as he got older he became Mr Safety at work at home ... always preaching safety ... his favorite saying ..."BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/11 09:31 by Out_Of_Service.

Be nice if some of the idiots here in Falgstaff could learn, but they don't! A month ago a stacker blocked both Frisco and Beaver, Sts and soon enoug jerks started climbin' over the cars and they were lucky the train didn't start movin' causin' a big jerk like what most freights do when they release the brakes! I for one hope this lady recovers and gets on with her life, but it be great if a lot of people quit doin' stupid stuff that endanger their lives when they're near the tracks!

Nobody deserves that. Even if it is your fault.

This is why I despise all stories and coverage of hobos and train hopping. None of that should ever be part of the fan / media community, glorifiying an extremely dangerous activity. Towns that have hobo festivals should think again. They were probably very nice legs, too. Now they are medical waste.

Students from Colorado State University in Fort Collins have been doing this for years. The street running through the campus in Fort Collins is perfect for "hopping a freight"...slow speeds and a nice flat paved surface to run alongside and grab on and go.
Usually the ride was taken southbound to either Loveland or Longmont where a northbound would then be hopped for the return to Fort Collins. I have a friend who went to CSU from 1974-1978 and he told me many stories about the rides including a time when a female
lost her toes after slipping...so for at least 30+ years students have used the C&S and now BNSF freights for their entertainment.
Whether the young lady in this most recent incident thought she was invisible or invincible she found out the hard way how unforgiving a rolling train is...now she and her three male companions will have this to remember their "college experience".

As a (1) human being, and (2) a pastor who grew up in a railroading family and knows the dangers of railroading, I hate to see the loss of human life that happens without thinking, and even more I hate to see a young person have their life destroyed (and this girl certainly fits that catagory) because of a careless moment.

I watched my dad as I was growing up grieve over someone who drove a car in front of his engine and was killed as a result. He took it very hard because our family values human life, even the dumb ones. Dad once hit a car at a crossing with one adult and 5 children in it. All but one was killed on the spot and the other was damaged for life. I watched him grieve over a switchman who missed a step on a cut of cars and was run over.

I am sorry we are becoming so indifferent to life as to make statements like that. Better to just relate the story and same the personal commmentaries.

Rev. Bob Miller

Bob Miller
Kansas City, KS

I'm with Reverend Miller. It's best not to judge. I think back to some of the foolish, reckless things I did as a teenager and in my early 20s and it's only by the grace of God that I'm alive and intact to think about those things. I have 2 daughters aged 20 and 22 and, so far, they seem to have avoided doing some of the really idiotic dangerous things I did (driving drunk for example). I have no illusions though, they've probably done some dumb things that I can't even imagine. I hope they survive and that I never find out.

I wouldn't wish what happened to that girl on anyone. No one deserves that. To say otherwise in writing is pretty harsh.

Mark Sullivan