Anyone see the train crash on the news?

It was literally a mile away from my school. There were police and ambulances everywhere. There must have been around 30 police vehicles, 20 ambulances and 10 fire engines.

Were were driving past the closed road and there were sirens and and blue lights everywhere.

A train hit a car stuck on a level crossing for those who hadn't seen it. There were special news bulleton on BBC1.

Several dead and many seriously injured

Adam

suicide someone has alleged just now... what a bastard if that is the case.

Was just about to say, listening to the updates on BBC Radio Berkshire.

Skynews saying there should be pressure plates on the crossing to warn the train driver if there is cars on the crossing.........Why theres already an invention to stop this accident.......ITS CALLED A BRIDGE!

Better still a large plough type cow catcher on the front of the train to lift and push aside any debris on the track should some thing get on the track. The present design is flawed because a 1 and a half ton car derails a 300 ton train.

Any comment on the techy side of this incident.?????

james bond style cannons on the front of trains... that'd sort them.

My first home (24 years ago!) was a flat overlooking potters bar station, where the last big accident happened - 100 yards away


if it wasnt suicide - it wouldnt be hard to have doppler radar proximity detectors at crossings - like the things on the tops of traffic lights that detect if cars are waiting. The dopplers would loook for cars stuck on the tracks between barriers.

if it was suicide, then all you would need to do is drive up the track a bit from the dopplers, and no one could detect that.

It may be that the person really didnt expect that a 1 tonne car would take a 300 tonne train off a track - suicidal people dont take laws of physics into account. Like some guy who jumped off a bridge on the a14 a couple years back - 20 ft dont kill you, but laying injured in the road waiting for a truck to hedgehog you does.

there must be better ways!

atb

steve


[Edited on 7/11/04 by stephen_gusterson]