What A Couple Saw As Innocent Fun Turned Into A Tragic Train Warning
May 02, 2016
Anyone who's ever seen the 1986 movie "Stand By Me" will likely never forget the nail-biting scene where four kids decide to take a shortcut by walking across a train trestle. Needless to say, it's a decision that nearly spells disaster for the group. Yet, believe it or not, the man vs. train scenario is far more common offscreen than you'd expect. The big difference, however, is that the real-life ending rarely matches the Hollywood version, where all four friends manage to narrowly escape death by either outrunning the train or jumping to safety over the side of the train trestle. Which is why everyone needs to hear this train warning!
The 'Goatman' Myth
There are many different reasons people decide to wander along train tracks, despite the seemingly obvious danger. For a young couple visiting Louisville, it was curiosity over a local myth of "The Goatman" that drew them out onto a train trestle, despite the chain link fence and warning signs meant to keep people out. Sadly, what the pair likely viewed as innocent fun quickly turned tragic.
The act of proving or disproving an urban legend often encourages risky behavior and is no different with the myth of "The Goatman" -- a creature who is half-goat and half-man said to appear once you cross an old, but still active train trestle.
Credit: FOX 26 NewsThe couple, who were visiting from Ohio, decided to investigate the myth themselves. They may have even mistaken the old train trestle to no longer be in use -- an assumption that author and historian David Domine says many thrill-seekers make.
Credit: WAVE 3 NewsA Tragic End
Whatever the case, once up on the train trestle, the couple was surprised by an oncoming train. Though fictionalized events in movies sometimes convince people of the possibility of outrunning a train, the reality is that you'd actually have to run faster than Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, just to keep up with the train.
This left the couple with two option -- jump off the trestle to an 80 to 100-foot fall or hang over the side. They chose the second option.
RELATED: Mom warns everyone of the online 'pass-out' game after her 11-year-old son dies
The young man was able to hold on to the side of the train trestle and survive. Sadly, his girlfriend was not fast enough. She was hit by the train and regrettably lost her life that night.
The most heartbreaking piece of this tragedy is that it could have easily been avoided. But it happens more often than you'd expect and is not merely limited to thrill-seekers.
Train Warning For All
Photographers -- both professional and amateur -- often take this risk as well. Three teens in Maryland recently ventured out to a nearby train track to take some photographs for a class project. But the photo shoot turned tragic when a train traveling 70 mph surprised 16-year-old John, his girlfriend and her twin sister who was taking the photos.
Credit: Christine DeReggi via ABC NewsThey attempted to jump off the tracks to safety, but a train is actually much wider than the tracks. The wind from the speeding locomotive pushed the girls to safety, but sadly the young man was hit and killed.
These are only a few out of many instances where pedestrians underestimate the danger surrounding train tracks and train trestles. In fact, according to Operation Lifesaver, a non-profit dedicated to rail safety public education, a person or car is hit by a train about every three hours.
RELATED: A complete stranger saves a young woman's life on a train
The accidents typically result from some common misconceptions we hope to dispel in this article.
Credit: Operation Lifesaver Inc. FacebookTrain Warning #1 -- Trains are faster and quieter than you think.
Folks often assume they will hear an oncoming train long before they are in danger. But what they don't realize is that today's trains are quieter than ever, and no long make the old-fashioned "clackety-clack" that used to be a telltale sign of an oncoming train. And as Operation Lifesaver points out, any approaching train is always closer and moving faster than you think.
Train Warning #2 -- By the time they see you, it's already too late.
A freight train can weigh up to 6,500 tons and take more than a mile -- up to 18 football fields -- to stop. It can also take anywhere from 1 to 2 minutes from emergency brake to full stop. So, by the time the engineer sees you and decides to stop, it's already too late.
Train Warning #3 -- Trains require more clearance than you think.
Train trestles sit high above creeks, rivers or roads below. Therefore, it's easy to understand that a hundred foot jump over the side would be just as deadly as being hit by the train. But for ground-level railroad tracks, many people don't realize just how wide trains are. They operate under the assumption that they can simply jump off of the tracks to avoid being hit. But a train can extend three feet or more beyond the steel rail, and loose straps hanging off of rail cars can extend even further, putting the safety zone for pedestrians well beyond the three-foot mark.
Train Warning #4 -- Any time is train time.
Trains do not follow any set schedule, so they can literally come by at any time. Immediately crossing the tracks after a train passes is a dangerous practice. Trains can come from any direction, and a second train might be blocked by the first. Wait until you can see clearly around the first train in both directions.
Credit: Operation Lifesaver Inc. FacebookFor even more train warning facts, be sure to visit the list posted on the Operation Lifesaver website here.
Please be sure that this important warning is heard by all so that no more lives are lost unnecessarily!
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:31
h/t: WAVE News 3
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: See What One Brave Woman Did To Calm An Erratic Man On A Train
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Who Are Lonely or Isolated This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 23
This Christmas, remember how precious you are to the Creator. Remember that there is nothing you can do or say that would ever separate His presence and love from you. It’s okay to go through Christmas feeling alone and isolated, but make sure you turn to God to fill those feelings of loneliness.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Who Are Lonely or Isolated This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 23
This Christmas, remember how precious you are to the Creator. Remember that there is nothing you can do or say that would ever separate His presence and love from you. It’s okay to go through Christmas feeling alone and isolated, but make sure you turn to God to fill those feelings of loneliness.
Past Stories
- Husband Decorates His Neighbors' Homes For Wife Who Loves Christmas
- Couple Befriend Older Neighbor After Hearing Music Coming From His Apartment
- California Man Carpools With Adult Children On His Very Last Day of Work Before Retirement
- Family of Three Grows To Seven Overnight With Birth of Quadruplets
- The World's Oldest Dog Spike the Chihuahua Turns 25 Years Old
- Christmas Tree Planted Back in 1979 Inspires and Unites a Small English Village
- Dick Van Dyke Turns 99 After Evacuating From a Wildfire and Welcoming His Lost Cat Back Home
- Santa and Mrs.Claus Continue to Spread Christmas Magic Even With Santa's MS Diagnosis
- Little Girl Gets a Big Elf On the Shelf Surprise Honoring the Little Brother Who Passed Away
- Little Boy From England With Leukemia Delivers Over 400 Christmas Gifts To Kids At the Hospital
- Gold Star Family Receives a Big Surprise That Will Change Their Lives Forever
- 8-Year-Old With Down Syndrome Is a Hero After Saving Sister From House Fire
- Man Paralyzed At 17 While Snowboarding Has Found True Love and a Wonderful Life
- His Wife Passed Away, Now Their Special Tree is the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
- New York State Police Rescue Woman Needing a Heart Transplant Stranded in Snowstorm
- Born the Same Year the Titanic Sank, World's Oldest Man Dies at 112
- Family Receives Support From School and Community After Losing House in a Fire
- Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Yyacob After Years Apart
- Chicago Man Discovers That The Owner Of The Bakery He Loved To Visit Was Actually His Mother
- Husband Pays For 40 Pet Adoptions At Shelter For His Wife's 40th Birthday
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
- School in Arkansas Mourns the Loss of Their Beloved Emotional Support Dog Abby
- 93-Year-Old Has Made Sure To Attend Every High School Football Game Since 1946
- Texas Mom Doesn't Remember Delivering Triplets After Rare Complication After Birth
- United Airlines Pilot Buys Pizza For 155 Passengers After They Make An Unexpected Stop
- Teenager With Down Syndrome Enjoys Playing Kickball After Parents Organize Neighborhood Game
- Woman in Shock After Finding Winning Lottery Ticket At the Bottom of Her Purse
- Australian Couple Walks Into Their Bedroom To Find the Cutest Koala
- 5 Boys and Their Father Were Saved By Good Samaritan After Explosion
- Daughter of WWII Soldier Finally Learns What Happened To Him, 80 Years Later
- Sisters Scream With Joy Watching Their 4-Year-Old Sister Take Her First Steps
- Her Mom Put a Message in a Bottle As a Child, 26 Years Later Her Classmate Found It
- This Missouri School Was Renamed After Their Much Loved and Dedicated Custodian
- Michael Strahan's Daughter is Now Cancer Free and Has Taught Him All About Perseverance
- These Two Newlyweds Found Love in Their Late 90s, After Meeting At Their Retirement Home
- Sisters Who Were Adopted By Separate Families Nearly 40 Years Ago Reunite After DNA Tests
- Oldest Living Person in the US Passes Away at 115, After a Long and Faithful Life
- At Just 20 and 22 Years Old, These Two Sisters From Minnesota Saved Their Family Farm
- After Over 450 Days in a Shelter, Boone and Rellie Find Their Forever Home, Together
- Sweet Kitten Named Coraline Loses Both Her Eyes, but Inspires Many with Her Spirit
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
Top Music Videos
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Jeremy Camp Jeremy Camp 'Ready Now' Powerful Official Music Video
Mark Schultz 'Different Kind of Christmas' - Live From Mark Schultz
Brad Stine Has Issues Brad Stine’s Hysterical Take on Adam Naming the Animals is Pure Gold
Kari Jobe Kari Jobe - First Love
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.