ATV riders leap from bridge to avoid train

from boston.com

ATV riders leap from bridge to avoid train
October 26, 2004

WARREN, Maine -- A father and son from Massachusetts escaped injury by jumping 15 feet from a railroad bridge as their all-terrain vehicle was about to be struck by a train.

Lyle Morris, 42, of Woburn, Mass., and his 14-year-old son, Luke, got their ATV stuck on the track Saturday as a train was bearing down at 45 mph. They escaped by jumping from the bridge.

The ATV "came free when we hit it," landing 120 feet away, said Jon Shute, general manager of Maine Eastern Railroad. He noted that the train could have derailed if the ATV had remained stuck on the track.

The ATV was totaled. Damage to the train totaled more than $10,000, but none of the 60 passengers or three crew members were injured.

Officials said their narrow escape points to the need for off-road vehicle operators to steer clear of railroad tracks.

"The seriousness of this accident can't be overemphasized," Shute said.

Lyle Morris was charged with operating his vehicle on railroad tracks, a civil violation, the Knox County Sheriff's Department said.

© Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Having ridden this train 2 weeks ago, I can attest to the fact that it rolls right along on that beautiful new track. The ATV dad must have rocks in his head to be riding with his son on a track like that which is obviously well used, let alone any track at all. They were lucky to escape with their lives, and also not to have caused the train to derail and perhaps overturn some of the coaches, which would probably be the end for this wonderful new passenger operation on the Rockland Branch.

Idiocy abounds!

My only question is, who is going to pay for the $10,000 worth of train damage?

Bangor Daily News carried a much longer article about this accident. See http://www.bangornews.com/editorialnews ... ?ID=440312

Well now that he doesn't have the ATV, maybe he can pay the 10,000 and be thankfull that the train didn't derail

The ATV owner is resposible for his negligence and liable for the $10,000. The open question is whether or not the RR will seek payment.

It always amazes me how many parents continue to set bad examples for (and many times, with) their children. (i.e. walking in the guage, dirt-biking or in this case ATV-ing along the right-of-way. etc.).

The ATV probably was not insured and Personal liability insurance probably has clause in it that cancels it incase of criminal acts.
so family won't have money and railroad pays their own damages.

Hmmm, you mean since they were tresspassing and therefore breaking the law, they DON'T have to pay the damage to the railroad?? Am I reading that right? Wait... or did that say INSURANCE won't pay...

I agree that the man was wrong for letting his son near active rails. The man is old enough to be responsible for his actions, but the son may not know any better. Similar to the boy who died in Beverly. Why didn't his mother comment that the crossing bells were ringing?

Yadda yadda yadda... what can you do... I just wish safety near trains was taught as much as in years past... People seemed to respect the sheer power and speed of trains in the "old days". Maybe I am wrong, being to young to be alive in the "old days", but it just seems like no one cares about such safety anymore!

(soapbox)

Back in the 40s and 50s, trains were much more prominent in our daily lives than they are today. Plus you had steam locomotives with all their noise and smoke which was hard to ignore. Freight trains trundled down all the many branch lines which today are all abandoned.

Also, most people have never even been on a train (except for commuters), and unless occasionally have to stop for one at a crossing, never think about them.

Trains are relatively quiet nowadays and can sneak up on you if you're walking the tracks (always a bad idea). Especially if you are wearing headphones or otherwise distracted.

Strangely, back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as one can read in the "city locals" columns in the daily newspapers of the era, are recorded dozens of instances where people were killed by trains... either on foot or in wagons at a crossing... and it was so commonplace as to be no big deal. They rated maybe a sentence or two at most, unless the carnage was particularly gruesome. Today, much more is made in the media about any such "accident" and it is played up and sensationalized. Yet people continue to put themselves in harm's way on the tracks.

Go figure.

Hmmm... so it sounds like maybe since trains were more common way back when, that people were actually NOT as safe!

It has always been true that laws can't protect people from their own stupidity. You can warn people, have lectures, print posters, blow horns, whatever... and people still will do whatever they want, at their own peril. Nothing is 100% risk free.

One possibility is that the railroad's insurance company will pay for the damage to the locomotive. The insurance company could then possibly sue the trespassers in order to make up for the money they had to give to the railroad.

Another possibility is that the railroad will take the trespassers to court and try to get money that way.

The insurance company would probably have better (read: more expensive) lawyers and thus have a better chance of winning, though.

Not likely. Most railroads have a high SIR, or "deductable". Probably the damage to the locomotive is below that level. And the cost of litigation to seek damages would cost more in lawyers fees than it would be worth. It's too bad our society works that way, in my book the ATV riders should be on the hook for the full amount AND should have to pay a large fine as well.

Aji-tater wrote:in my book the ATV riders should be on the hook for the full amount AND should have to pay a large fine as well.

Yup. That would certainly be the common sense way of handling it.