Re: Death by Train (was:- Someone killed in Melbourne Loop this morning?)

[Reece Isaac <throttle@alphalink.com.au>]

John Regan wrote:
> 


> I have had to witness the final seconds of a persons life and be powerless
> to do anything about it (even infact react) before he hit the locomotive
> headstock.
> It is something that I will NEVER ever forget.
> 
> I was the first person to find the person next to the track and I watched
> him die moments before the Ambulance arrived.  It was not a glorious death.
> 
> I had to endure the report writing and interveiws from the police that
> attended.
> The worst part was the nightmares and stuffed up personal life that is apart
> of the result.
> One thing I hate is at a party or such like and you meet new people.  When
> they find out you are a train driver one of the first questions seems to be
> "have you killed anyone". I usually tell them no for the simple fact that if
> I say yes  and choose to tell them then I am reliving it and it ruins the
> night for me.
> It is something that I can do without.
> 
> You won't get any sympathy out of me for people that want to top themselves
> in this manner but I will stand 100% behind any crews that it occurs to.
> They have my thoughts and sympathy - I know what it is like.
> 
> John Regan
> Locomotive Engineer
> New Zealand
John, I haven't had an incident such as yours in 21 years on the foot
plate but I know that you are correct in what you said about 'killing
someone'  The advice we were given the the trauma people is the  those
people killed them selves using your tools of trade.  He also said that
train drivers are in a particularly unique position as opposed to the
police and the like in that we on on the spot and helpless to change the
out come of the acts.  I hope that you have been able to go through the
aftermath ok and adjust to the changes that you would have endured OK.
Reece.
Locomotive Driver (the engineers won't let us call ourselves engineers)
Sth Dynon