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Original poster

A woman has been killed after getting her foot stuck in a level crossing as a train approaches

54 replies

notalone · 29/03/2008 10:29

uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/20080329/tuk-woman-with-stuck-foot-killed-by-trai-45dbed5_2.html

How truly terrible. Yes she was very stupid for crossing when the gates were going down, but imagine the sheer terror she must have felt. I used to have recurring nightmares about this when I was a kid.

And how brave the men were who tried to rescue her

OP posts:
moreJellothanJlo · 29/03/2008 10:31

yes how utterly terrifying

poor soul and her family must be devastated too

moondog · 29/03/2008 10:32

I heard this yesterday on the news.
Truly the stuff of your worst nightmares isn't it?

LaComtesse · 29/03/2008 10:36

Poor lady .

I hate even driving over level crossings and was horrified when I had to walk over one the other week in Manchester. Perhaps there's a case for putting foot bridges or underpasses at some of these places.

Nbg · 29/03/2008 10:39

Dear god

We have a crossing a few meters from our house.
I hate it and I always always look both ways before I cross it.

Horrendous.

BumperliciousAteTooManyEggs · 29/03/2008 10:43

Oh god i can't even read that article. i used to have phobia of trains, and would close my eyes every time we drove over a level crossing. i have to try hard not to do the same now when i am driving

southeastastra · 29/03/2008 10:47

omg what an awful freaky accident. horrifying

hatrick · 29/03/2008 10:51

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Sobernow · 29/03/2008 10:54

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cushioncover · 29/03/2008 10:56

There should be an emergency button that other people can press in such an event which would alert trains to brake. It could have saved her life although the barriers are there for a reason. Although not the case here, in theory such an accident could happen moments before the barriers go down ending in the same result.
The obvious problem with such a button is that it would be open to abuse by stupid inconsiderate people.

The poor woman must have terrified. The two men who tried to save her will live with the images for ever.

Level crossings have always given me the creeps.

hatrick · 29/03/2008 10:57

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cushioncover · 29/03/2008 10:58

Really, Sobernow? So she was hit by the train after they freed her foot?

ladytophamhatt · 29/03/2008 11:02

Lacomtesse, DH is a train driver and on many of the routes he drives there are footcrossings or level crossing ever few miles. It woudl be inpossible to build bridges etc over all of them.

Sad as it is, these things happen when people ignore the barrier or lights. They are there for a reason and its takes alot of distance for a train to stop when its travelling at speed.
If people think they can quickly nip across befpre the train gets there then they are playing with their lives.

Upwind · 29/03/2008 11:02

There is usually an emergency phone at level crossings though? If it was a button you would have kids stopping every other train.

This was a freak accident, which happened to a woman who took a silly risk. There is only so much that can be done to protect people from themselves.

Freckle · 29/03/2008 11:03

The story on the bbc website says nothing about her being freed. It states that the two men were unable to free her.

She was utterly stupid to cross when the lights were flashing and the barriers already down, but what a price to pay. Perhaps all level crossings with barriers should now have gates installed so that no one can try to cross. It's so easy to duck under/around barriers.

hatrick · 29/03/2008 11:06

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Sobernow · 29/03/2008 11:07

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Deux · 29/03/2008 11:09

The story in today's Torygraph quotes one of the rescuers as saying he freed her foot and she then ran over the crossing to her boyfriend.

If that's true, beggars belief really.

Sobernow · 29/03/2008 11:10

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pagwatch · 29/03/2008 11:24

Yep. the torygraph story said she was freed but then tried to continue across to get to her boyfriend.
I feel really sorry for the poor boy that got her out only to have her run back in front of the train.
Just so sad.

wannaBe · 29/03/2008 11:31

So she was freed and then ran across anyway? What a bloody idiot.

Feel so sorry for the driver who will have to live with this for the rest of his life, and the man who risked his life to free her.

But no sympathy for her sorry.

Blandmum · 29/03/2008 11:33

Trains a big and heavy and have a lot of momentum. It takes a long time to get them to stop.

Silly woman, poor bloody driver

Original poster
notalone · 29/03/2008 12:09

I live very close to a small railway station which has a pedestrian crossing to get to the other platform. The rules are that if the lights are red you don't cross but there are no barriers or a warning sound. I have witnessed teenagers running across on red lights so many times and it scares the life out of me.

The worst thing is that one of the trains comes in on the far platform and at around the same time a virgin train travelling at about 90 mph thunders through on the other side. Apparently lots of people have made the mistake of still trying to cross thinking the red light is still on from the train they have just got off when it is still red because of the express train travelling on the other side. There have been no fatalities as yet but I truly believe it is only a matter of time.

I feel so sorry for the people and the driver who witnessed it. It must have been horrendous

OP posts:
Upwind · 29/03/2008 12:21

People dart on front of buses too, when they are in a hurry. At some point we have to take responsibility for our own behaviour

SparklyGothKat · 29/03/2008 12:26

so she was freed and ran across anyway!!?? What a idiot! She should have waited. I feel so sorry for the driver and the young lad that freed her and had her safe in his arms, to see that will haunt him for the rest of his life

moondog · 29/03/2008 17:19

Yes, as Torygraph reader I noticed this odd fact.
She must have dashed across in front of it.