# Triple train track fatality kills three teen girls



## Derrel

How absolutely awful: two teen girls dead at the scene, the third dies in hospital just days later.

Their Last Selfie Caught The Killer That They Didn't See

The grisly irony is that their selfie shows the headlight of the oncoming train that struck the group moments later.


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## Designer

Must be that thrill of cheating death, like running with the bulls, jumping off cliffs, skydiving, etc.  Sometimes death wins, which seems to be the attraction.


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## zombiesniper

I feel for the families of the girls and the workers on the train.

I've seen to many people play stupid games with their lives. Alway makes me wonder if why you would risk so much for such a stupid reason.


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## Derrel

I honestly think people just do not even think about a train ever occupying the same space as they occupy. Just a weird thing, like one of the many on the former TV program "1,000 Ways to Die". Just going along, doing their thing, and then Boom!...the end.


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## Overread

People don't think a train can sneak up on them. 
It's huge, makes a lot of noise and is dead easy to spot. The idea that it can move with such blinding speed to the point where its there one moment and gone the next; the idea that it can make so much noise that it drowns out another whole train etc... Most people don't work with nor around trains - they see them at the station and the road crossing and that's it. Both controlled environments where you don't have to do any thinking about the train - the warning lights and announcer do all that for you. 

And you still get people jump the barriers because "Gah its not even here yet I can make it" 


Heck we make mistakes like this ALL the time in cars too. Humans are, I think, not designed to think in speeds above 30mph (considering that's about our fastest and even then only in a sprint for a few moments). So judging speeds and reaction times becomes a lot harder and we are more apt to make mistakes.


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## SquarePeg

So horrible for everyone involved.  I've seen a few stories where the victims are caught by surprise by a train coming in the opposite direction.  The noise from one definitely drowns out the other.  Just terrible for their families.  So pointless.


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## DarkShadow

Very Sad the poor families lives destroyed forever. I will never stand on the tracks or cross them, even if I see nothing coming both ways, I just don't do it.Trains come up on you real quick and its just way to easy to get focused on something else and become unaware of the danger.My heart goes out to these families,Losing your kids is just unthinkable.


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## Gary A.

How Tragic ... Sad ... and Unnecessary.


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## KmH

Yes a sad and tragic story.
On average it happens something like 3 times a day in the US - a train hitting a pedestrian.
Some are suicides.

Making photos on train tracks without permission from the railroad that owns the right-of-way is trespassing.

Greg Plitt 'was trying to outrun oncoming train' when killed | Daily Mail Online
Movie crew hit by train wasn't supposed be on track, officials say


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## Designer

I've been trying to find a more complete reporting of this.  The local TV station does not report it, there is no date associated with this story, 

(edit) I found it.  October 16, 2011.


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## DarkShadow

Community members mourn tragedy after 3 girls struck by train | KSL.com


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## jcdeboever

I am amazed how much this happens. Tragic.


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## KmH

We all have our _Geez, that was_ _stupid_ to one degree or another moments.

 The train engineers suffer a lot of emotional trauma too.
It's said that any train engineer having a 30 year career can expect to be involved in at least 3 train pedestrian fatality incidents.

And that's not counting people in vehicles that ignore grade crossing warnings, or that get their vehicle stuck on the tracks in various ways.
I won't link to videos of fatal incidents.


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## table1349

Next time someone starts another thread about trespassing to get a photo a link to this thread should be posted.  It amazes me how many people either don't know or don't care that railroad property is regulated property and that it is illegal to trespass on railroad property.


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## KmH

Railroad grade crossings make it legal to be on railroad property.
Some grade crossings have mechanical devices intended to block access to the crossing. Some don't have  those mechanical devices and only have flashing lights.
Many rural grade crossings don't even have lights, just signage:
railroad crossing sign - Yahoo Image Search Results


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## table1349

For the purpose of crossing only not loitering.  
Pedestrian / Motorist | Federal Railroad Administration


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## KmH

Last month:
Texas woman in midst of modeling shoot when struck by train


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## Designer

_"The person who was taking photos of Thompson was not hurt."
_
Good to know.


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## KmH

And her family should sue the sonofabitch.


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## Designer

How long will this fad last?  Pretty girls posed on RR tracks, abandoned warehouses, etc., and wedding dresses in the mud has about run its course, IMO.  It has never made sense to me.


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## table1349

Designer said:


> _"The person who was taking photos of Thompson was not hurt."
> _
> Good to know.


It would be interesting to know how his insurance handles this little faux pas, that's assuming he has insurance.


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## Designer

gryphonslair99 said:


> It would be interesting to know how his insurance handles this little faux pas, that's assuming he has insurance.


Arm's length analysis and opinion: I would be willing to bet (a small amount) that the photographer (he or she) not only does NOT HAVE insurance, but also NO TAX ID, no business license (if required in her community), and no signed contract for the photo shoot.  Oh, right; and no permission to be on the RR ROW.


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## Derrel

Designer said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
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> It would be interesting to know how his insurance handles this little faux pas, that's assuming he has insurance.
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> Arm's length analysis and opinion: I would be willing to bet (a small amount) that the photographer (he or she) not only does NOT HAVE insurance, but also NO TAX ID, no business license (if required in her community), and no signed contract for the photo shoot.  Oh, right; and no permission to be on the RR ROW.
Click to expand...


Agree with KmH,gryphonslair99,and Designer...


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## Achaicus

I see them set with some frequency on the old jointed track that go by my house. Freight on this long (45mile) stub line only goes 20 mph or so, and the Steam trains that occasionally run only do 25 or 30 max usually slower. There are 5 crossings here in less than a mile, and all are signed only so get the full whistle treatment.

It is still trespassing, but not the danger that it is on some tracks. Shoots on rural speed restricted ancient tracks like this one that put the idea in the heads of people elsewhere.  None of the local people seem to think of that.


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## joony

We all make stupid mistakes. Bad things always happen in the moment when you do not expect at all. If you survive, be happy in the way as you are, because of  you are still part of all of us. I survived bad thing, you survived, we are all survived some tragic moments. but it's sad, they did not. it's very sad tragedy.


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## table1349

A majority of people don't make those kinds of stupid mistakes.  Common sense however is becoming a much rarer commodity these days.   Trains are just one of natures tools for thinning the herd of stupid people.  A few examples.  NFTS (Not for the squeamish.)















 (a Stupid photographer)


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## ZombiesniperJr

gryphonslair99 said:


> A majority of people don't make those kinds of stupid mistakes.  Common sense however is becoming a much rarer commodity these days.   Trains are just one of natures tools for thinning the herd of stupid people.  A few examples.  NFTS (Not for the squeamish.)
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Did the two in the first video that were hit survive do you know? i am guessing that they did not


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## table1349

ZombiesniperJr said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
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> A majority of people don't make those kinds of stupid mistakes.  Common sense however is becoming a much rarer commodity these days.   Trains are just one of natures tools for thinning the herd of stupid people.  A few examples.  NFTS (Not for the squeamish.)
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> Did the two in the first video that were hit survive do you know? i am guessing that they did not
Click to expand...

I believe so, if you can survive the medical costs they ran up.  My bet is they didn't have health insurance as well as not having common sense.


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## table1349

This is just too easy.  








The Police Don't need Stop Sticks when they have a train.


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## KmH

The second video in post 29 shows that in *full emergency stop* it took a short, single level, lightweight passenger train 41 seconds to come to a complete stop.

Longer bi-level passenger trains take longer to stop in full emergency and freight trains, though usually going slower than a passenger train, take some minutes to stop depending on the total weight of the train .


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## runnah

Overread said:


> People don't think a train can sneak up on them.
> It's huge, makes a lot of noise and is dead easy to spot. The idea that it can move with such blinding speed to the point where its there one moment and gone the next; the idea that it can make so much noise that it drowns out another whole train etc... Most people don't work with nor around trains - they see them at the station and the road crossing and that's it. Both controlled environments where you don't have to do any thinking about the train - the warning lights and announcer do all that for you.
> 
> And you still get people jump the barriers because "Gah its not even here yet I can make it"
> 
> 
> Heck we make mistakes like this ALL the time in cars too. Humans are, I think, not designed to think in speeds above 30mph (considering that's about our fastest and even then only in a sprint for a few moments). So judging speeds and reaction times becomes a lot harder and we are more apt to make mistakes.



Most folks slept throught the class where they taught about the dopplar effect.


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## KmH

I bet they slept through the teaching of the Doppler effect too.


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## clbryant19811

Heart breaking.  I see a lot of people doing railroad pictures on live tracks and that scares me.  I do have one set of family pictures on tracks, but they are not active, and are an event venue.  That is the only way I would have done it.  I had an employee a few years ago who was deaf and unfortunately had been drinking, walking along the tracks and was struck and killed by a train.


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## table1349

today-show-demonstrates-train-track-photography-dangerous


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