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[TAWP]

Besides mounting up tripods with gatling-guns to swiftly take out any drivers starting to crisscross(!) the section there isn't much that can be done.

So sad one stupid person had to take out 6 others with and causing untold harm and grief to many others.

[hansnl]

Thai at Heart, on 2009-10-25 12:16:16, said:

The train refused to stop even the barriers were down?  

Speeding train??

That would be moving I presume.  

Would someone please teach these reporters to write correctly.  A thesaurus is a great thing, but I don't think this story reflects the truth of the events.  At least in English that is.

Due to some stupidity seven people died.
That was not necessary!
The engine driver will always ask himself the same question over and over, could I have saved the lives of the people in the truck.
In all probability he will not be able to do his job any more.

And next time passing a spectacle shop, get one.
The heading was about a truck refusing to stop, not the train.
I go along with you partly, the truckdriver refused to stop.
And the term speeding train is in regular use, faulty or not.
All in all, the result is the same, seven people died, a train driver will probably shocked beyond recovery, the people collecting the human parts will not sleep very well for quite a long time, if ever.
There is nothing more disturbing sitting in the cabin of a locomotive, see what is going to happen, not being able to do anything about it but slamming the emergency braking on, bracing yourself and close your eyes while waiting for the crash.......

Edited by hansnl, 2009-10-26 20:48:57.

[NancyL]

There were several rail crossings near our home in the U.S. where the guard arms would remain down for long periods of time, with no train in evidence, because the train was switching cars at a siding a few hundred feet from the crossing and had activated the crossing barrier.  Many locals would just criss-cross thru the down barrier after stopping briefly to see if any fast-moving train was in evidence.

The kicker was that this was a double track, so while one train could have been messing around switching cars on a siding another could have come thru at high speed.

I refused to cross a down barrier and after waiting 15 - 20 minutes (watching others cross the barrier) I would call the local police.  Their standard answer was that all they could do was fine the rail company and they always paid the fine, something like $400 per incident.  While the police dispatcher was sympathic, the best she could do was tell me which rail crossings in the area where blocked and which were open so I could make a detour.  Of course, she never advised me to drive across the down barriers.

Perhaps there's a similar history of "false" blockages with the crossing in this story.

[moe666]

There seems to be a mentality among some drivers about beating the train at a crossing and it usually ends the way this one has a bunch of dead people.

  Sorry about the victims in this wreck, and all of the victims of such stupidy worlwide.

[ScubaBuddha]

Thai at Heart, on 2009-10-25 12:46:12, said:

sbk, on 2009-10-25 05:27:15, said:

Thai at Heart, on 2009-10-25 12:16:16, said:

The train refused to stop even the barriers were down?

I see "the truck refused to stop" what do you see?

My mistake.

Sorry.

Also, "Speeding train" is correct English. It's use here is as an adjective,  as in "Faster than a speeding bullet" not a noun, as in, "I got a ticket for speeding today."

[Briggsy]

The driver was/is a complete dick.

Another day on Thailand's roads where an incredible 50 people (*disputed figure) die every single day and many more are badly injured.

Nothing's going to change soon.

[andren]

Unfortunately, one of the nuns in the vehicle was my mother in law and wifes mum. We both live in the UK and were devastated when we got the news last Sunday.
I hastily arranged for the wife to fly out to Thailand last Monday.  Mother in law left 5 siblings, all of whom managed to make it to the funeral. The funeral was yesterday.

Certainly, the driver was a complete lunatic.

My condolonces go to the other grieving families.

[mahtin]

My wife says the barrier was not closed. There were 3 pickups, the first two made it and the third was hit.
The people were from Khao Suan Kwang, going to make merit.
My wife is also from KSK, so I can't confirm authenticity, but perhaps we shouldn't be too quick with the Darwin comments.

[TAWP]

Surely a train isn't lacking in sound or light?

[andren]

mahtin, on 2009-10-30 10:53:51, said:

My wife says the barrier was not closed. There were 3 pickups, the first two made it and the third was hit.
The people were from Khao Suan Kwang, going to make merit.
My wife is also from KSK, so I can't confirm authenticity, but perhaps we shouldn't be too quick with the Darwin comments.

If the automatic barrier was not closed, then my outlook on the pick-up drivers actions would have to change.  He would not have been at fault.
At that time in the morning, most lights on the train would be dimmed and curtains drawn.  One light on the front of the train would be hard to see from the roadside. Add the fact that 2 vehicles went through in front of him.

I guess, we will never know

[TAWP]

Any report that the barriers wasn't down is unconfirmed rumors on a webboard. Just to put it in perspective for now.

Carry on.

Edited by TAWP, 2009-10-31 18:48:16.

[mahtin]

Actually it was my wife's translation of a tabloid newspaper report (Daily News) that stated that the barriers were not down.
Regettably I do not read Thai, but I saw a photo of white sheeted bodies with people formally posed behind.

It is not my intention to spread rumours.