I truly do not understand people's thinking! There is, somehow, the perception that the railroads are owned by the government and the taxpayers fund the railroads. Thus, idiots think that
they own them. Aside from that, they also don't recognize the danger that it LOOKS like (to me) they would know with their own eyes, ears, AND feet. Regardless of who they think
owns railroads (they are private companies), they should SEE that trains and tracks are dangerous and stay away. They don't!
As a retired railroad employee, having been IN the cabs of freight and fast passenger engines, I cannot describe the horror of watching someone walking on the tracks oblivious to our presence, or seeing someone racing us to the crossing determined to beat us. It is the most helpless feeling!
We can't do anything about it; we can't stop quickly. I've seen big burly engineers sitting on the steps of their engine with big tears in their eyes after having hit a car that had small kids in it. We are NOT heartless brutes.
I HATE that the teen in the story lost his legs, but I also cannot ignore that it is NOT the railroad's fault. The accident is clearly HIS fault and no one else's. if the railroad were to pay him something, the it should be only out of compassion, not by being sued for something for which they are innocent. On a jury, I would NOT punish the innocent and reward the GUILTY!
GF