Railfan Killed by Train

["John Regan" <reganjd@clear.net.nz>]

This is a copy/paste of three emails I received on another rail email list.
It is very important (I feel) to reinforce the fact that railfanning is
potentially a dangerous hobby.

Please read the following three items and take note.  Personally I can think
of numerous instances where railfans have placed themselves into dangerous
situations to get that magical photo or whatever.  This might have been
deliberate or the person might just be so focused on getting the pic that
everything else is blocked out or overlooked.


Be safe.

John Regan


------
Sad news -
Mark Biggart, 36 years old and a railfan was struck and killed by a
Wheeling and Lake Erie train near Bethel Park, PA on Easter Sunday
afternoon.

The news is sketchy, but the local radio and TV station reports say
he was on the tracks and could not get out of the way in time.
Mark shared many photos and stories about trains in the area with
many other railfans, and was always searching for more information on
things like the PRR Panhandle, P&WV and other local roads.


------
More on the story:
His camera supposedly was still in his bag,
appears he might have passed out, and was laying on the tracks.
Train crew saw him laying on the tracks and couldn't stop in time.  It was
single track and was around a curve on the old P&WV, now W&LE.
Sympathies to his family AND to the train crew also,
who could not have averted hitting him.

------

Dear List,

I am sorry to hear the news about Mark Biggart. However, his reckless
behavior not only was responsible for his own demise, but incidents like
this
will no doubt ultimately make it difficult, if not nearly impossible to be
anywhere near railroad rights-of-way to observe or take pictures of railroad
operations.

Please, pass the word: stay off railroad tracks and equipment. If you must
be
on alignments which could potentially cause death or injury, cross safely
and
as quickly as possible. Take it from me; I have been a railroader for
sixteen
years and have lost several friends who were seasoned, professional
railroaders. Death or injury can result in the blink of an eye. To
illustrate
this, my friend, Pat Smith, was killed in Mason City, Iowa about a year and
one-half ago, while walking down the middle of the Coal House Lead for only
a
few moments. He was walking north toward the Pit Track switch to line his
consist of light engines into the Pit. He told his engineer to come back
toward him. The engineer was operating from the South unit. "Come on back"
was the last thing they ever heard from Pat. He was not only run over, he
was
cut into three pieces.

Please, people, take this subject seriously. Tell everyone you know. Safety
is not something to be taken lightly. It is all about consciousness and
about
being responsible for your own actions. If you see anyone on or about the
tracks, tell them to get off or make them move any way you can. Let's not
wait until another person has his obituary posted online, or it becomes
impossible to be anywhere near railroad property, or both.

Markers,

J.E. Humbert
HiballHum@aol.com
BLE Div.#333