Bug Squashed By Train

[Calisupastarz]

Sad story of a young woman killed while passing through an uncontrolled railroad crossing. This kind of story reminds you to stay alert and safe, you never know what's around the next corner.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23123393-2862,00.html?from=public_rss

A YOUNG preschool teacher who was about to be married died when her small car was crushed after being hit by a V/Line train.

Kay Stanley stood no chance when she drove her Volkswagen Beetle across railway tracks as the train approached Tyabb station yesterday morning.

Despite efforts by the train's driver to slow down, the train slammed into the VW's driver's door, dragging it more than 200m along the track.

Wedged under the front of the train, the little car then slammed into the station platform, where it was completely crushed between concrete and train.

Ms Stanley, 32, died at the scene while the shocked train driver and his traumatised passengers were removed from the diesel and two carriages, and later offered counselling.

Engaged to be married, Ms Stanley, 32, was believed to have been on her way to work at the Tyabb pre-school where she had been employed since last year.

Officer-in-charge at Hasting police, Sen-Sgt Steve Iddles, said lights and bells were working at the Mornington-Tyabb Rd crossing at 10.23am when the accident happened.

More than two dozen police, CFA and SES crews spent more than five hours at the scene.

Shocked Tyabb residents, angry the crossing does not have boom gates, stared in disbelief and distress as what was left of the car was eventually towed away.

Somerville Towing operator Ross Duff gingerly reversed his tow truck along the railway tracks to get close to the crumpled car.

"There's not enough of it left to call it a wreck," he said.

Horrified tourists and locals alike watched as emergency service workers hung tarpaulins around the crash scene to block the disturbing sight.

Tyabb shift supervisor Earle Sellers, 57, said he believed the crossing was an accident waiting to happen.

"Motorists travelling east along Mornington-Tyabb Rd usually have the sun in their eyes in the morning and are most likely to be concentrating on the more noticeable traffic lights just ahead of the crossing," Mr Sellers said.

"It happened recently that my wife Linda told me she'd almost had an accident with the train after approaching the crossing without really noticing the train approaching, because she was more focused on the traffic lights ahead of it."

Mr Sellers said boom gates were the only way to prevent a similar accident at a couple of rail crossings in the area.

A state government spokeswoman said the crossing had already been earmarked for upgrading with boom gates in the 2007-08 VicTrack program.

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[papaphaedrus]

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[70 140]

VW or not. Car Vs. Train, the train always wins.


No one hurt (by the train crash)
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=f0546fd9bd405c1f7e7ef530555b8b52&t=182285

[RixiesRide]

Damn! That is so sad.
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[mike yapps]

WOW! That's horrible.
It almost looks like the pic of the front of train was photoshopped. The bug looks so tiny.

[busfreak_71]

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[my59]

I'm thinking that will not buff out.
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[piemat]

Its sad that someone has to die before they decide to put up the boom gates.
Seriously, why doesn't every rail road crossing have the gates?

I'm really surprised it did not catch on fire.
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[Towel Rail]

[64hardtopbug]

wow i'm crushed by this story.

[Pintobean]

Officer-in-charge at Hasting police, Sen-Sgt Steve Iddles, said lights and bells were working at the Mornington-Tyabb Rd crossing at 10.23am when the accident happened.


I notice other peoples blinkers.... let alone big ass train lights and bells. you just gotta pay attention.
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[George Evans]

A few years back at a rural crossing here in Ga. a teen was killed by a train at a crossing. It was a double track. He had waited for the train to pass but was hit by a train from the opposite direction that he apparently did not take into account.
Allot of good lessons to be learned from these accidents.
One of the things my vw experience teaches me is to take life a little slower & look around a bit.

[bugninva]

i grew up here in a railroad town...(Roanoke Va)....we don't have alot of problems with train vs. car crashes because it is a common part of our day to day commuting....BUT i see daily folks that just have to get across before the train comes...even when it does have the boom gates... you gamble with a train, you can lose big time.."Look, Listen, Live"
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[sixfootdan]

[Jessica]

Wow, that's really sad! Not even because it's a bug, but because she had no chance at all of surviving. You have to be paying attention when you drive.
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VW-less right now...looking
-OGST-
RIP HBB
RIP RW

[TeamSpatula]

At some of our rail safety meetings we've watched crossing videos from the cameras mounted to the front of train engines (almost all of them run cameras now for liability resolution)
You'd be surprised how many idiots have near-misses all the time. I was riding Amtrak a year or two ago and we must've come about 6 inches from a car that just barely stopped in time...

and condolences aside, it's cool to see a line still running an old E/F unit engine - too bad it's in Australia...
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[coad]

[TeamSpatula]

[ScottK]

[coad]

No one ever talks about the poor train crews, and this isn't easy for them. Just saying.