Wake up call - close calls on the tracks

Hope this serves as a wake up call, as I didn't blink when I picked up the phone...

I witnessed a group of 5 or 6 people (one of which was a baby being pushed in a stroller) dart across the tracks at Belmont Rd. in Downers Grove while the gates were down and an eastbound freight was approaching. The engineer of the freight was blowing the horn when he saw the group cross the tracks and there was about a 5 second gap from the time the group started crossing to the time the freight reached Belmont Rd. The engineer of the freight gave a long hard look at the group when his train reached the intersection. Minutes later the group boards the eastbound Metra. I immedietely called BNSF and reported this, due to the fact that one of the adults was pushing a stroller with a baby. Two things entered my mind as this incident occured. I was going to film the incident as it happened, but couldn't since I was on the phone with BNSF. The other was to board the eastbound Metra and report this to a crew member, but couldn't since I wasn't in position. However, the BNSF employee was appreciative that I reported this. I hope to never see an incident like this ever happen again.

MetraBNSF,

I've seen the kind of thing you describe all too often at LaGrange Road and Stone Ave stations. The one time I was sure a pedestrian would be hit (he wasn't and I can't understand how!) was about 4 years ago. An older man started shuffling across the tracks as the gates were going down for an approaching Amtrak train. The engineer had the horn blasting, but the old guy didn't react at all. There was no way the train could stop and I swear I saw a resigned look on the engineer's face. The train rushed by just where the old man had been a couple of seconds before. Moments later he was on the opposite platform. A number of stunned onlookers started shouting at the old guy asking if he wanted to die or was stupid or what. He ignored everyone and kept shuffling along.

That was too close a call for my taste and I hope I never witness the real thing.

I've never understood why there seems to be a disproportionate amount of pedestrian/motorist accidents (or near accidents) on BNSF as compared to the rest of the system. I understand it's one of the busiest lines in the country, but UP's Geneva sub, while lacking in overall passenger traffic, runs just as many freights as BNSF's Chicago sub. But in Wheaton at least, folks don't seem to be as inclined to take chances on driving or walking past lowered crossing gates; in the three years I've lived here, I can only recall two occasions where I saw someone cross the gates illegally, and both times, the cops were right there to slap the person with a ticket. Plus, there's been just two accidents that I can recall; one was a deliberate suicide, the other happened very late at night when an empty Metra train struck a car, no fatalities in that one. I think it's a combination of aggressive law enforcement plus acute public awareness that keeps the overall accident rate low on UP's busy Geneva sub; I just don't understand why it's a struggle to apply these same principles to BNSF on a more consistent basis.

That said, choosing to place yourself at risk when crossing lowered gates is one thing, but to put an innocent child in harms way like that is a stupid and indefensible act. I'm no legal expert, but that clearly sounds like child endangerment to me. And just to make the worst nightmare vivid, does anyone really want to think about what would've happened if the wheels on the stroller had somehow gotten stuck between the rail and concrete with a train bearing down on them, horns blasting? No, we'd simply have pain, sorrow, and regret while witnessing a tragedy that absolutely DID NOT have to happen.

Good work on calling that in, MetraBNSF. You did the right thing...

Keep calling. It does help. I kept complaining about people getting off outbound trains at Wood Dale and crossing the tracks behind the train, where there is no cross walk, rather than waiting for the train to clear the station.

I wrote a letter to Metra with my safety concerns and a cop showed up a couple of times to scare the fools. I guess they thought it was important enough because they have put up a fence between the tracks and now people have to wait.

So keep on complaining, you might get results.

[quote="doepack"]I've never understood why there seems to be a disproportionate amount of pedestrian/motorist accidents (or near accidents) on BNSF as compared to the rest of the system. I understand it's one of the busiest lines in the country, but UP's Geneva sub, while lacking in overall passenger traffic, runs just as many freights as BNSF's Chicago sub. But in Wheaton at least, folks don't seem to be as inclined to take chances on driving or walking past lowered crossing gates; quote]

When I moved from LaGrange to Elmhurst two years ago, i was shocked how commuters actually waited for the gates to go up before crossing unlike in LaGrange. I have seen police a few times standing at York St. waiting for some person to cross the tracks while the gates are down and it never happens.