Accidents on the railroads these days

many

Is it just me or are there a lot more fatalities recently on the railroads? Maybe I'm just noticing it now but I seem to be hearing about a lot of fatalities on the tracks these days.

Victor

I think it is more reporting, rather than necessarily more fatalities.

many

Oh that could be it, actually..

Atlantic Dawn

I think it's the media more willing to report suicides, previously it was swept under the carpet.

dowlingm

I think it's twitter etc. It used to be in Toronto you only heard the euphemism "personal injury at track level, 75 minute delay" on the PA if in the system itself, but then the alerts started going on twitter so you became aware even when not in the system. It turned out to be more frequent than most people thought because the number of suicides doesn't usually include unsuccessful ones but the alerts made people aware of the sum of these.

This led to a spike in media reporting, which then led to the transit commission partnering with the local equivalent of eircom and a Crisis Hotline to provide a direct free call button on every payphone on the platform for use by people contemplating suicide.

L1011

More suicides plus more reporting of said, I suspect. There haven't been many non-suicide fatalities on the Irish rail network in the past two decades.

Losty Dublin

MYOB wrote: »

More suicides plus more reporting of said, I suspect. There haven't been many non-suicide fatalities on the Irish rail network in the past two decades.

There has been certainly 5 in the last 2 years. Two on the Manulla Branch, on on the WRC, one on the Ballybrophy branch and one on the main Dublin-Cork line. All of these involved people crossing or trespassing on the line.

The suicides are an age old problem on railways worldwide and they probably are easier noticed by us due to the age of instant media as MD points out.

L1011

Losty Dublin wrote: »

There has been certainly 5 in the last 2 years. Two on the Manulla Branch, on on the WRC, one on the Ballybrophy branch and one on the main Dublin-Cork line. All of these involved people crossing or trespassing on the line.

Wasn't aware it was that high, but its still nothing compared to the days of old.

How many has there been of people legitimately on the line? I know a PW worker or two has met an unfortunate end.

Losty Dublin

MYOB wrote: »

Wasn't aware it was that high, but its still nothing compared to the days of old.

How many has there been of people legitimately on the line? I know a PW worker or two has met an unfortunate end.

The last couple of years just seems to have been bad for fatalities as Irish Rail generally have had few deaths to address. There has been a good few near misses as well which either are unreported or which fail to make RAIC report stage. The only ones who are legitimately on the line are those at level crossings so it's on the person to cross safely when it's clear to do so as it's one fight you will not win.

I am not so sure about figures for the old days being more lethal but safer it wasn't and doubtless there was a few who met their ends on the lines taking chances both as workers and chancers.

L1011

There were also deaths of passengers in the old days, something we've thankfully not seen for some time.

LordSutch

many wrote: »

Is it just me or are there a lot more fatalities recently on the railroads?

railroads? :cool:

Victor

In the 19th century, serious injuries and deaths on the railways were running at something like 16,000 per year in the UK, with deaths in the thousands - the vast majority of them amongst staff and mostly preventable. The problem was that even minor errors by staff members were leading to severe injuries, but the culture of the time was that the victim was being blamed for what was an unsafe system. Of course, the railways quickly realised that passenger deaths affected their incomes and so were quicker to deal with such problems. Meanwhile, preventing staff deaths would cost them money by putting in place safe equipment and rules.

PseudoFamous

Victor wrote: »

In the 19th century, serious injuries and deaths on the railways were running at something like 16,000 per year in the UK, with deatsh int eh thousands.

40 per day? Its a miracle anyone would even go near a train with that sort of risk.

schemingbohemia

Losty Dublin wrote: »

The last couple of years just seems to have been bad for fatalities as Irish Rail generally have had few deaths to address. There has been a good few near misses as well which either are unreported or which fail to make RAIC report stage. The only ones who are legitimately on the line are those at level crossings so it's on the person to cross safely when it's clear to do so as it's one fight you will not win.

I am not so sure about figures for the old days being more lethal but safer it wasn't and doubtless there was a few who met their ends on the lines taking chances both as workers and chancers.

Some of those fatalities at level crossings may also have been suicides - I still think there is a tendency in coroner's courts to give open verdicts rather than suicide.

Losty Dublin

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Some of those fatalities at level crossings may also have been suicides - I still think there is a tendency in coroner's courts to give open verdicts rather than suicide.

The last one I read which went to the Coroners was recorded as an accident but there is little doubt that many of them are suicide cases.