Passenger Trains > Animal rescuer killed by train in Illinois

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Happened near St Louis in SW Illinois. Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3055736/Sandie-Konopelski-Shiloh-Illinois-hit-train-trying-save-opossum.html

Posted from iPhone

Oh yes, let the flaming begin. I know what type of comments will show up here. So, I will first report that it is being reported that Bi-State/Metro has called her many times before to remove wildlife from the tracks. While it hasn't been clarified whether this was one of those times or not, let it be known that she has been on the tracks before, with permission, to do just what she was doing this time. Last news report I heard, Bi-State/Metro was not saying whether they had or had not called her this time. The first news report on this said her foot got caught in the tracks. I haven't heard that repeated any more. So, no blaming, flaming or nasty comments about this until it is known whether she was there with or without permission or whether Metro had asked her to be there or not. It's a tragic accident either way, but no one should make any comments about "tresspassing" until it's known if that really was the case.

Article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-killed-by-metrolink-train-was-trying-to-save-opossum/article_d6f86886-c220-5006-9b37-0e05ada1ed6d.html

Regards,
Burlington John
 

She liked raccoons, eh?  I raise poultry; you should see what raccoons do to poultry, like chewing the bills off live ducks.  The best raccoons are dead.

This may be one of times when the big hand on the front of the locomotive would not have helped!

Regardless, she should have enough common sense to not stand on the track when a train is coming.  I yeah, i forgot, common sense is no longer common.

WP-M2051 Wrote:
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> She liked raccoons, eh?  I raise poultry; you
> should see what raccoons do to poultry, like
> chewing the bills off live ducks.  The best
> raccoons are dead.

Bobcats are worse.

The most aggressive raccoons are the female trying to care for their young.


Allen

jfrank39 Wrote:
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> Regardless, she should have enough common sense to
> not stand on the track when a train is coming.  I
> yeah, i forgot, common sense is no longer common.

These days, I think the term "common sense" is an oxymoron.

Posted from iPhone

i normally have no sympathy whatsoever in trespasser fatalities that are either self induced by intent or stupidity but in this case i'm gonna give this woman a pass ... i myself after more than 3 decades working on the NEC with high speed trains, was so into my job a few times, complacency took over and moreso a lack of focus about my surroundings where it had me narrowly escaping a fate this woman had suffered ... i have great respect for those who perform work for the sake of animals living in an environment that the animals themselves didn't create trying to survive in a world created by man ...

now if she was called out by the transit angency they surely will and should bear responspility for her safety on their property and should be held legally and financialy responsible for her death unless she was told to wait for track protection and she went aheqd with her duties with no protection ... if she was on the the tracks without the knowledge of the transit agency, then in the efforts of her do good endeavor, she made a fatal error in judgement that cost her in life ...

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/15 12:11 by Out_Of_Service.

Out_Of_Service Wrote:
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> i normally have no sympathy whatsoever in
> trespasser fatalities that are either self induced
> by intent or stupidity but in this case i'm gonna
> give this woman a pass ... i myself after more
> than 3 decades working on the NEC with high speed
> trains, was so into my job a few times,
> complacency took over and moreso a lack of focus
> about my surroundings where it had me narrowly
> escaping a fate this woman had suffered ... i have
> great respect for those who perform work for the
> sake of animals living in an environment that the
> animals themselves didn't create trying to survive
> in a world created by man ...
>
> now if she was called out by the transit angency
> they surely will and should bear responspility for
> her safety on their property and should be held
> legally and financialy responsible for her death
> unless she was told to wait for track protection
> and she went aheqd with her duties with no
> protection ... if she was on the the tracks
> without the knowledge of the transit agency, then
> in the efforts of her do good endeavor, she made a
> fatal error in judgement that cost her in life ...
>
>
Yours is probably the best comment I've seen posted in a month from someone who has obviously been there.

I had a good friend who, at 2AM in Washington Terminal, almost stepped into the path of a silently moving cut of cars. Fortunately, he recognized the situation and reacted  in the proverbial nick of time, but it frightened him so badly that he immediately wrote out his resignation and handed it it. His boss held the resignation, and in a few days he reconsidered and went back to work until he was qualified for retirement.

In a railroad environment -- particularly between the hours of sunset and sunrise -- the margin between "fatal error in judgment" and non-fatal is often frighteningly narrow indeed.  I too will withold any judgment in this case.

Complacency and familiarity with an area can often dull the sharp awareness you need to survive. True in many fields and occupations.

Looks like she was potentially on assignment by metro to rescue the opposum...? On the surface this has all the appearances of being more than just a trespasser strike. Condolences to her family

Coalca Wrote:
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> Looks like she was potentially on assignment by
> metro to rescue the opposum...? On the surface
> this has all the appearances of being more than
> just a trespasser strike. Condolences to her
> family

Makes you wonder, if she was out on an assignment for Metro, was the dispatcher ever notified so they could provide protection?

I don't get it, was the possum in a cage?  Why would you call someone out for a possum on the tracks, most likely it would have moved on before anyone could arrive.  Horses or cattle on the tracks warrant a call, small animals like cats, dogs and possums, never heard of anyone reporting them in my time.

OliveHeights Wrote:
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> I don't get it, was the possum in a cage?  Why
> would you call someone out for a possum on the
> tracks, most likely it would have moved on before
> anyone could arrive.  Horses or cattle on the
> tracks warrant a call, small animals like cats,
> dogs and possums, never heard of anyone reporting
> them in my time.

i dont get it either.  The opossum was probably already dead when she got there, or perhaps it only appeared so.  

Didn't she hear the train or see  it coming. Didn't the train have a horn or bell or lights.  But 1 thing if she was saked by the railroad to go out there that one thing. If she was out there on her own that some thing for the courts to work out. But it is sad.

I read the article yesterday, well one article, anyways. It said she was called by the railroad, so she went. It also said she got her foot caught on the rails somehow and couldn't get away, and was subsequently struck by a train.

I don't have any clue to the authenticity of the story I read, but I cannot believe any railroad calling out someone to rescue an injured opossum, maybe a horse, cow, even a dog, and of course lots of injured protected birds, but not an opussum.

Ron

Ron Wrote:
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> I read the article yesterday, well one article,
> anyways. It said she was called by the railroad,
> so she went. It also said she got her foot caught
> on the rails somehow and couldn't get away, and
> was subsequently struck by a train.
>
> I don't have any clue to the authenticity of the
> story I read, but I cannot believe any railroad
> calling out someone to rescue an injured
> opossum, maybe a horse, cow, even a dog, and of
> course lots of injured protected birds, but not an
> opussum.
>
> Ron

why or what she was called out is irrelevent ... ANY railroad or company for that matter that calls on a vendor/contractor to perform ANY kind of work and doesn't protect the safety of the individual/s under their authority is inept of it's duties as a company and IS legally liable for ANY and ALL injuries suffered by the individual/s ... THAT JUST AINT RIGHT !!!

Posted from Android

WP-M2051 Wrote:
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> She liked raccoons, eh?  I raise poultry; you
> should see what raccoons do to poultry, like
> chewing the bills off live ducks.  The best
> raccoons are dead.

They have as much right to be here as you do....

Or should we talk about what humans do to other animals?

P Wrote:
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> OliveHeights Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I don't get it, was the possum in a cage?  Why
> > would you call someone out for a possum on the
> > tracks, most likely it would have moved on
> before
> > anyone could arrive.  Horses or cattle on the
> > tracks warrant a call, small animals like cats,
> > dogs and possums, never heard of anyone
> reporting
> > them in my time.
>
> i dont get it either.  The opossum was probably
> already dead when she got there, or perhaps it
> only appeared so.  

The animal was reported to be injured.

And if a female carrying babies is injured or killed there is a chance to still save the babies.


Allen