Woman killed as she leaned out of train window

[guest311]

If they are so dangerous then how did we manage all those years ago when everything had a drop light window? And no central door locks either, we stuck our heads out, we knew the risk, we opened doors half way down platforms and jumped off, once in a while you mis-stepped and face planted the platform, oh and people stood behind the yellow line as they knew a door was likely to be flung open.

Sure there were incidents but we weren't dying like a bunch of lemmings!

people were used to having to look out for themselves, risk assess for themselves, take responsibility for themselves and their actions, oh and there was something called, now what was it, errr

COMMON SENSE 

[Snowwolflair]

"She was with friends, and the RAIB said it believed "at least one other friend leant out of the window before [Ms Roper]"."

Not a word of criticism or blame in the report of the first idiot of the group who stuck their head out of the window.

[Philip.]

If they are so dangerous then how did we manage all those years ago when everything had a drop light window? And no central door locks either, we stuck our heads out, we knew the risk, we opened doors half way down platforms and jumped off, once in a while you mis-stepped and face planted the platform, oh and people stood behind the yellow line as they knew a door was likely to be flung open.

Sure there were incidents but we weren't dying like a bunch of lemmings!

This was different though, the train was doing 75mph and not slowing to a halt as you were doing

[NeMo]

If they are so dangerous then how did we manage all those years ago when everything had a drop light window?...

People had accidents and were injured or died. We often allow the glamour of steam and all that shiny brass to distract us from the fact that railways were places where people -- especially the workers -- were exposed to risks we simply wouldn't accept today. Even if relatively small numbers of people died, injuries like burns were commonplace among footplate and shed staff. Passengers were of course not exposed to the same risks, but the Harrow accident tragically demonstrated just how unsafe pre-Mk1 coaching stock would be in the event of a high speed collision.

Sure there were incidents but we weren't dying like a bunch of lemmings!

Overall deaths on railways have been in massive decline since the 1950s. Even allowing for the fact our railways are running much faster, more intense services, and passenger numbers are at record highs, the trend is downwards.

https://orr.gov.uk/news-and-blogs/orr-blog/2015/175-years-making-britains-railways-safer

Cheers, NeMo

[Webbo]

This young lady paid for a momenatry act of stupidity wih her life. Stuff like this happens every day on our roads - a momentary misjudgement and a life or two gets snuffed out.  Someone's daughter, partner, or sibling has been killed. It is sad, but life is dangerous.

What strikes as a bit strange about this one is why this protruding tree had not been reported by the many engine drivers that presumbly pass along this line on a continuing basis. Of course, perhaps it was reported and not acted upon. If the tree was close enough to the side of the train to hit someone's head, it must have passed very close to the cab of the locomotives and it looks like it had been gradually falling towards the line so would have had to be dealt with before long.

Webbo

[railsquid]

If they are so dangerous then how did we manage all those years ago when everything had a drop light window? And no central door locks either, we stuck our heads out, we knew the risk, we opened doors half way down platforms and jumped off, once in a while you mis-stepped and face planted the platform, oh and people stood behind the yellow line as they knew a door was likely to be flung open.

Sure there were incidents but we weren't dying like a bunch of lemmings!

people were used to having to look out for themselves, risk assess for themselves, take responsibility for themselves and their actions, oh and there was something called, now what was it, errr

COMMON SENSE 

I hate to break this to you, but it's a myth there was some golden age of common sense.

Anecdotal I know, but ca. 1975 in a little village somewhere in England there was a boy of about 10 or 11 who ripped the sticker off one side of Railsquid's little pedal car, just one of a string of antisocial activities apparently, anyway he didn't get a chance to come back rip off the sticker on the other side because not long thereafter he was fooling around with friends at the edge of the local quarry and ended up accidentally removing himself from the gene pool.

I remember at least one incident from the pre-digital age of decapitation caused by leaning out of the window, I'm sure there are plenty more.

[njee20]

Indeed, even in this thread we've got people reminiscing about the good ol' days when you jumped out of a moving train and faceplanted the platform. Ahh yes, what halcyon days those were, when common sense abound...

If I'm to take issue with anything it's the whole thing about the sticker wording being in some way culpable for her actions. The idea that people are now more stupid is certainly ridiculous, and I'll wager is shared by people of a certain age.

[exmouthcraig]

Apparently the route had not been checked for trees and route impingment for over 3 years. We have 3 miles of double track railway line through our fields, the whole route is tree lined and 3 years ago during a bad winter a tree fell on the railway line. Network Rail appeared en masse at 5am on a Saturday morning with Rail Roader cherry pickers, chainsaws, winch assisted Toyota Hi Luxs and spent the weekend hacking everything back to a good 5ft away from the tracks, we got left with plenty of firewood that weekend!!! We haven't seen anyone since, not that they aren't doing their job, presumably there is no threat at this moment in time.

It just nails home the point that we have to have disclaimers about everything everywhere, but there ALWAYS has to be someone to blame. Its shocking her friends witnessed it and her family have to deal with the tragic loss but it was surely accidental death caused by their own stupidity. It's the same when anyone dies the first question anyone asks is "oh what did they die of??" The real answer is they were 86 and died of old age but that seems to be unacceptable as well.

[Philip.]

It's the "blame everyone else except the stupid person" culture that is creeping in to todays society that worries me. 

[Philip.]

It just nails home the point that we have to have disclaimers about everything everywhere

But why, why do you need one about not sticking your head out of a train moving at 75mph. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence would know that if you do it, it's probably not going to end well.

[exmouthcraig]

Indeed, I think your first post answered your second posts question.

[Newportnobby]

Its shocking her friends witnessed it and her family have to deal with the tragic loss but it was surely accidental death caused by their own stupidity.

I'm quite ambivalent about what happens to people who do such idiotic things but have huge sympathy for the poor railway and emergency services personnel who have to clear up some idiot's mess.

[RailGooner]

Those who would really benefit in learning a lesson from this, sadly won't as it's unlikely to appear in their Twitter feeds.

As technology gets smarter society gets dumber! The film Idiocracy (2006) is a comedy story of an ordinary man with an average IQ who travels 500 years in to the future, where he is the smartest man on earth. Behind the comedy is a rather perceptive anthropological commentary on how smart tech makes for a dumb society.

The future of mankind =

[NScaleNotes]

Those who would really benefit in learning a lesson from this, sadly won't as it's unlikely to appear in their Twitter feeds.

As technology gets smarter society gets dumber! The film Idiocracy (2006) is a comedy story of an ordinary man with an average IQ who travels 500 years in to the future, where he is the smartest man on earth. Behind the comedy is a rather perceptive anthropological commentary on how smart tech makes for a dumb society.

The future of mankind =

You might be on to something there.
I've just finished reading The Road To Wigan Pier by George Orwell and he makes similar arguments about the side-effects of technology.

[njee20]

It just nails home the point that we have to have disclaimers about everything everywhere

But why, why do you need one about not sticking your head out of a train moving at 75mph. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence would know that if you do it, it's probably not going to end well.

Well no, the trouble is that 999 times out of 1000 you could stick your head out and be just fine. She was unlucky that this was the 1:1000 time. That doesn't make it a sensible thing to do, evidently, but it also doesn't suggest she had no intelligence.

Look at this lot in 1977:


Maniacs, the lot of them, do they deserve decapitation?