I'll bet you've never looked at a train locomotive and noticed the hood ornament, have you?

For those of you who haven't been paying attention.... http://jalopnik.com/5144353/train-skewers-car-carrier-in-washington-gets-cadillac-dts-hood-ornament

Sue

Nice decoration.

I wonder if engineer got to keep it because 'it followed me home'.

Don't play 'chicken' with a freight train.

I bet this will be a big hit with model train affecionados this holiday season!

Ya'all may laugh at this, but I'll bet the train driver thinks it isn't that funny. Unless you've been there, you don't realize how scary it is knowing you're about to obliterate someone and there's nothing you can do about it.

You're probably right, but I've had the "pleasure" of having a train engineer come to a class in high school. He did have some interesting, if tragic, stories. Though I have seen the "after" effect once on the way to school.

Your probably right. But, in life there are always things you can't control. Things you have to accept and deal with as best, as creatively as, you can.

I asked an AF missleman what he would do if the missiles were inbound and he wasn't down in the silo. His answer, seeing as that he would be about 100' from ground zero and too close to do much running, was that he would break out the lawn chair, crack a beer, slip on his shades and enjoy the show.

Being a RR engineer and knowing your going to hit a truck on the tracks all you could do is hit the brakes, radio central about the accident, lean back, and ... 'embrace the horror'.

My RR crews have stories that would curl your hair.

One woman stalled at the crossing on a narrow road, and she got caught between both arms when they came down. She got the car started, but wouldn't move forward because she was afraid of breaking the barrier arm. The crew had seen her and were doing an emergency stop, but they knew they weren't going to be able to stop. When they got close enough, they saw the car seat in the back with a little head. One of the crew jumped out of the engine with a heavy tool in his hand and ran ahead of the train, the tool raised to smash the back window and try to release the child before the train hit.

The woman wouldn't move to get out of the way of the train, but she stepped on the gas when she saw this crazy guy running at her car with a 'weapon'. She hit the gas and the arm swung as it was designed to do. She pulled ahead and then stopped. The guy ran up to her and apologized for scaring her, explaining that he was going to try to release the kid.

He said she kept apologizing, saying she didn't want to break the barrier. So, she was trading her life and that of her child for a crossing arm.

Sue

Driver in a hurry hit by two trains

I don't get the rushing to beat a train. Maybe it's the little boy in me, but I enjoy getting stopped by a train. I'd be glad to sit there for the few minutes it takes the train to go by.

Is that an "obedience to authority" issue more than anything else? She decided to move when the RR guy charged her (imposed danger) but not before. Maybe she didn't want to break a couple of sticks, or maybe she didn't want to scratch her paint. I don't think either's likely. But she moved when threatened. She's a survivor (except for not moving for the train - big oops on that).

That sounds to me like someone who froze in a pressure situation.

It also sounds like everyone got really lucky.