Passenger Trains > Sunrail vs. brain-dead SUV driver

Orlando, FL... Wednesday 10APR, shortly before 430pm...driver went through lowering gates but vehicles were stopped on the other side. 
When they cleared, she paused, then timidly crept across the track with oncoming train...she survived with serious injuries.

It almost looks suicidal.

Surveillance video, from Orlando Police Dept.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/19 20:42 by GenePoon.

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Looks like someone trying to commit suicide to me.  She had all kinds of time to move ahead and clear or just stay put, but she moves ahead right when the train arrives.  I've seen so many idiot drivers do things like that in front of me that I couldn't even begin to guess how many times.  Most cleared, but occasionaly you get one. 

     Unable to commit to some kind of action, forward, backward, get out, so they just go ahead and get clobbered.

That's got to hjurt!

William Jeffers, P.E.
San Dimas, CA

That'll leave a mark.

I'm guessing head planted in phone texting or playng whatever that stupid game every generation zero is doing. "Oh a train, I should move."
ExStarlightHog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looks like someone trying to commit suicide to
> me.  She had all kinds of time to move ahead and
> clear or just stay put, but she moves ahead right
> when the train arrives.  I've seen so many idiot
> drivers do things like that in front of me that I
> couldn't even begin to guess how many times. 
> Most cleared, but occasionaly you get one. 

Given that the driver waited with open space ahead, I have to conclude this was a suicide attempt. Not an effective one, though, unless the vehicle had a right-side steering wheel.

This is actually the most charitable explanation I can offer for the behavior.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/19 15:46 by toledopatch.

I'd have to go with confused and panicked.  Went by closing gates and realized should not, Gates are down and flashing, probably horn blasting.  Last minute panic is not uncommon.

Might help if you know the age.  That right lane was open a long time for escape route.  Things are obvious to us sitting above on our computer, not so much for her.

Bob

uber driver?

I wonder if she stopped before the close track and was looking down (playing on the cell phone) looked up and saw the traffic had cleared and never looked at the train.

I can't explain why she rolled forward beyond the gate as it came down. She was stopped at the right place before the gates came down. Apparently when the gates activated she decided to use the space between the gates and the rail to wait for the traffic to move ... and she would have been safe there had she not looked up, realized the traffic was cleared and moved at the exact wrong time.

I try not to assume that people making poor choices are suicidal. Some are just careless.

Hey Siri,  I'm stuck between the gates at a train track.  What should I do now?  

John

Answer to the call. Put your head between your legs and kiss your butt goodbye.

I watched it several times.

I'd saying badly timed suicide attempt, but who knows,

First, the driver did not jump past the gates until they were coming down. The lane was clear before the train got there, but the driver held back until the train was almost there.  I suspect that the driver had no idea that a camera would catch every action, undermining the fiction of a accident that the driver was trying to create.
 

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'd saying badly timed suicide attempt, but who
> knows,
>
> First, the driver did not jump past the gates
> until they were coming down. The lane was clear
> before the train got there, but the driver held
> back until the train was almost there.  I suspect
> that the driver had no idea that a camera would
> catch every action, undermining the fiction of a
> accident that the driver was trying to create.

That's what I thought when I first saw the video.

I see brain-dead driving almost every day, especially "distracted stopping" where the action itself usually doesn't cause accidents.

Here's one scenario. She moved up past the gates in hopes of crossing the tracks when the car in front of her gave her space. That's driver greed. She didn't react right away when the space opened up, because she was doing "distracted stopping." Note two cars ahead of her, the driver did a "minor" distracted stopping also.

Once she realized the space opened up, she moved up slowly, oblivious to the oncoming train. I think she was so focused on her distraction AND driver greed ("must get that space ahead of me") that she didn't realize that the train she was trying to "beat" was closer.

In that state of mind, she would have neglected the open lanes to the right, or other options for evasive maneuvering. If she wanted to commit suicide, she could have driven up to the tracks a little earlier, then wait for impact. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/19 10:04 by cchan006.

cchan006 Wrote:

> I see brain-dead driving almost every day,
> especially "distracted stopping" where the action
> itself usually doesn't cause accidents.
>
> Here's one scenario. She moved up past the gates
> in hopes of crossing the tracks when the car in
> front of her gave her space. That's driver greed.
> She didn't react right away when the space opened
> up, because she was doing "distracted stopping."
> Note two cars ahead of her, the driver did a
> "minor" distracted stopping also.
>
> Once she realized the space opened up, she moved
> up slowly, oblivious to the oncoming train. I
> think she was so focused on her distraction AND
> driver greed ("must get that space ahead of me")
> that she didn't realize that the train she was
> trying to "beat" was closer.
>
> In that state of mind, she would have neglected
> the open lanes to the right, or other options for
> evasive maneuvering. If she wanted to commit
> suicide, she could have driven up to the tracks a
> little earlier, then wait for impact. 

I have to agree with this.  Looks like cluelessness to me more than suicide, most likely a suicidal person would have pulled up and stopped on the tracks.  Didn't want to wait for a train so pulled under the gates, then not bright enough to go into lane 2.