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Man hit by train may have had earphones on
More Big Country A man struck from behind by a train and killed Saturday in Abilene has been identified as 30-year-old Edward Wayne Rose Jr. of Talpa.
Assistant Police Chief Stan Standridge said the Union Pacific train’s engineer reported that Rose “made no response to the train’s whistles — perhaps due to earphones.”
Standridge said Rose was “reported to always wear earphones.”
Rose, a carpenter from the Coleman County town about 60 miles south of Abilene, was walking east on the tracks when the eastbound train struck him near the intersection of South 1st Street and Treadaway Boulevard about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Standridge said.
“There was plenty of daylight. The engineer blew the horn numerous time, but the individual kept walking on the tracks,” said Raquel Espinoza, director of corporate relations and media for Union Pacific’s Southern Region.
The fatality is the second involving a train this year and the sixth since 2006 in Abilene.
Justice of the Peace Ronnie Doan said no autopsy was ordered.
“The cause of death was obvious, and it would have cost the county around $2,000,” Doan said. “APD (the Abilene Police Department) felt no need for the autopsy as well.”
Espinoza called it a “very sad situation” that has been “devastating to our crew” and which serves as a “tragic example why people should stay off the railroad tracks.”
“Our heart, thoughts and prayers go out to this individual’s family and friends,” she said. ““We hope that ... people after reading your article will have a better understanding why people need to stay off the tracks and off railroad property.”
Railroad tracks are private property, Espinoza said, and it remains unclear why Rose was “in this particular location that leads to our rail yard, which is also private property that is not open to the public.”
“He was approaching a rail yard where only Union Pacific employees are allowed to enter,” she said. “They (the train’s crew) did everything they could to alert this individual.”
A train traveling 55 miles per hour takes more than a mile to come to a complete stop, Espinoza said.
“So by the time the crew sees the individual on the tracks, it’s too late,” she said, adding that Union Pacific has a peer counseling program that “helps employees who go through a very tragic situation like this.”
In addition, Espinoza said the Union Pacific locomotive was equipped with a track image recorder, a mounted camera used to capture events on tracks before incidents.
“It helps establish what happened,” she said. “It would confirm that the individual was walking on the tracks, it would show that the engineer blew the horn and how many times he blew the horn, so basically it would confirm witness and crew statements.”
About 16 trains pass through Abilene daily at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, according to Reporter-News files.
Visitation for Rose is set for 6 to 7 p.m. today at Walker Funeral Home in Coleman. A service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Glen Cove Cemetery Pavilion in Coleman. Pastor Jerry Chastain will officiate.
Rose is survived by his father, Edward Rose, of Glen Cove; his mother, Kathey Douglas Rose, of Glen Cove; grandmothers Maxine Douglas, of Glen Cove, and Una Rose, of Kentucky; son Anthony Andrew Rose, of Delevan, N.Y.; and sister Kari Edminston, of Glen Cove.
Posted by ropers40 on October 20, 2008 at 12:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeah just think how many lives on North 1st and South 1st street could be lost if one train derailed at 70mph.
It only takes one broke axle, or one track to fail to cause a major catastrophe.
Next time you are sitting at the cross bars that come down when the train is coming thru, think to yourself, if this train started to derail right now where could I go.
Answer: Nowhere.
Posted by tomg130 on October 20, 2008 at 8:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just think what would happen if the sky fell in
Posted by Tumbleweed on October 20, 2008 at 9:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If I was sitting at that cross bar and the train was about to get me, I'd be looking for Hancock. What would happen if the sky fell? A socialist would be elected as the president. Sharing the wealth will protect us from train accidents.
Posted by ebtry on October 20, 2008 at 11:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ropers, we share the same concern. It is bound to happen at one point and will be a huge mess and certainly loss of lives.
Posted by law59 on October 20, 2008 at 12:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm not one to live my life around the "what if's" of the world, but maybe the people who are concerned about a freak accident should use the underpass, or the highway..possibly find a rock to live under.
Posted by TexasTwister on October 20, 2008 at 12:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Next time you drive out Highway 36 past the airport, just think what would happen if an airplane coming in for a landing lost a wing or had an engine explode or the pilot is suicidal because he just broke up with his wife and she's threatened to take him to the cleaners in the divorce for messing around with that blonde stewardess and that plane came down and landed right on top of your car and 4 others...oh the humanity!
I think to prevent this tragedy from happening, we should mandate that all aircraft slow to 30 MPH as they approach Abilene Regional Airport.
Posted by TexasTwister on October 20, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hate to break this bad news to you, ropers....but if you're sitting at the crossing and the train derails, you're gonna be just as dead whether it was going 70 MPH or 20 MPH.
Posted by Donny on October 20, 2008 at 12:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Twister you are nuts. I have seen trains derail at 20 and the damage isn't that bad. They cleaned it up that day. At 70 though i would hate to see the damage. Laws of phsyics fool.
Posted by cottonball107 on October 20, 2008 at 12:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What's a phsyics fool ???
Posted by alataol on October 20, 2008 at 12:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It is someone sitting at the crossing waiting for the train to derail -- I think.
Posted by TexasTwister on October 20, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Shood I evun rispaund to sumones poast thet mispeledd the vary poynt thay wuz triing to make?
I aint know phsyics fool.
Posted by TexasTwister on October 20, 2008 at 1:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
btw, donny....that's not German.
Posted by Reagan_Bush08 on October 20, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
LMAO:) Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
Posted by wildturkey on October 20, 2008 at 1:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's see, sitting at an intersection while a truck in cross traffic is going, oh-say 50mph. If that truck blows a tire and swerves towards your car, that 30,000 pound truck will demolish your car and maybe you. This is no different than the train coming off the track. The speed limit on the interstate is 60 mph. You drive 65. Your tire blows out and you hit a car on a side street... In some cases, slower speeds save lives but in other instances, maybe not.
Posted by TexasTwister on October 20, 2008 at 1:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I've seen both a car and a pickup that were hit by trains going less than 30 MPH. In both cases the train took almost a mile to stop. In the train/car accident the car was pushed the entire way and almost completely split apart in the middle.
The pickup's tires caught on the ties and actually flipped over and was pushed while on it's roof about halfway before being spit out onto the RR right-of-way.
Fortunately in both instances the occupants were able to get out before the accident happened.
Posted by GotHereAsQuickAsICould on October 20, 2008 at 1:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If you are at the crossing bars and a train derails and hits you. Unless it is going 5mph, you are going to die. Period. 25 mph, 45 mph or 70 mph. It doesn't matter. Come on, all you smart math people. Isn't that true?
Posted by Ranchero on October 20, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If a train leaves Abilene heading east at 50mph and another train, with no caboose, is traveling west at 70mph, what phase will the moon be in the next time it rises over New York City, NY?
Posted by TexasTwister on October 20, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The answer is: B) Brautwurst
Posted by weeman on October 20, 2008 at 2:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Assuming the first train has a caboose and pie are truly square plus depending on the velocity of the two trains together causes fusion, I would say the moon will be in same phase as what is equal to X minus the shadow of the moon....
Posted by TexasTwister on October 20, 2008 at 2:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As far as the phsyics stuff, I think it has to do with Newton's 1st law....that whole inertia thingy and how a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Of course he never saw my body and if he did I doubt he'd want to see it in motion. My mass times velocity ain't always pretty.
I think his second law was stated as: "Hey guys..these figs are really good...I bet they'd make a heckuva cookie!"
Posted by TexasTwister on October 20, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
....and Jupiter aligns with Mars...then peace will guide the planets....
Oops...sorry..bad acid flashback.
Posted by TexasTwister on October 20, 2008 at 3:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Posted by Reagan_Bush08 on October 20, 2008 at 1:12 p.m.
LMAO:) Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"
I would say Jawhol, but then donny would accuse us both of being Nazis.
Posted by mulligun on October 20, 2008 at 7:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Everybody is sure making a lot of fun about a child of God loosing his life no matter what the situation. Time to stop the funny stuff and morn the loss of a human life.
Posted by texasblackhawk84 on October 21, 2008 at 8:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mulligun, you obviously have an issue with following the context of a given body of thought. Yes, the original write-up was about a human being hit by a train, while WALKING on the tracks, WEARING HEADPHONES. We get it, it's sad, terrible for his family. But seeing how you have failed to follow the trail of thought by our generous posters, I will point you to the top of the comment section so that you can see that although there has been no disrespect for the person killed, the whole comment section is about the prospect of being hit by said train whilst waiting at the crossbars, or being in the general zip code during a possible derailment happening while the train was traveling at between 10-70 mph. This is not the only place where this accident has been posted, commented on or debated. It just happens to be the place where the goofy ponder the possibility of death my train at various speeds. If you're offended, well, read something else.
Posted by blahblah on October 21, 2008 at 12:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
twister---Newton's 1st law = very good! A+
Anyway,
Has this crossed anyones mind---or just mine:
Could it be possible that he was trying to commit suicide? Why else would anyone walk “on” the railroad tracks---wearing headphones?
Very sad.
Posted by ufltmcupstelnet on October 21, 2008 at 1:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Is the most dangerous part of the scenario originally described by Ropers40 is the drive to the intersection!
Posted by mulligun on October 21, 2008 at 3:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
texasblackhawk84-your sick and need to get a life. Maybe a trip to church might help. You made your opinion about me personally now I made my personal opinion about you. I suggest we drop it now but if not I can write opinions with the best of you. Have a blessed day.
Posted by Zoey on October 21, 2008 at 4:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
These are sad situations and I don't understand why people get on here and argue and put people down. My prayers and thoughts are with this family. I am sorry for your loss.
Posted by furankuoogata on October 21, 2008 at 5:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
thank you blah blah the whole time i was reading posts i was waiting for someone to actually sayit, i was getting to the bottom so i could say just that. he very well could have been suicidal, and of course no one wants to say it cause grieving persons will take offense, not their loved one, everything was perfect. regardless, he had no business there, and i have the same pity as for those who sky dive and those who play russian roulette. i won't ask anyone to feel bad for me if i do something i KNOW to be unsafe and deadly. becaseu regardless of intent, unless you are a child you knowwhat those tracks are for and what would ahppen if you were hit by it.
Posted by furankuoogata on October 21, 2008 at 5:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
sorry about the typos, i dint proof it.
Posted by TexasTwister on October 21, 2008 at 8:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Decibel levels
140 Train horn
130 Threshold of pain
100 Pneumatic drill at 5 metres
90 Heavy goods vehicles from pavement
70 Vacuum cleaner at three metres
40 Refrigerator humming at two metres
0 Threshold of hearing
Anyone who has been within 50 feet of a train sounding its horn should have a hard time believing he didn't hear it coming. I don't care how loud he had his iPod turned up, he had to have heard the horn....or felt the track vibrating if nothing else.
Posted by clsand99 on October 21, 2008 at 8:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Looks like a suicide to me. He's old enough to know how the RR & headphones work. The police should consider talking to family & friends to see if his circumstances indicate that he'd be suicidal.
Posted by wagamama on October 21, 2008 at 9:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There was an 18 year old deaf girl killed in Austin a couple of years ago while walking alongside the RR tracks and texting her parents. She of course didn't hear the train's horn... and supposedly didn't feel the vibrations either. She was hit by the cattle guard thing (not sure what the technical name is) and dragged until the train stopped. This was part of her route that she walked home from school many times- and this time it killed her! Who knows why people walk on or beside the train tracks?!
Posted by earl on October 22, 2008 at 2:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
hey guys good to see ya'll have not changed so i feel a whole lot better about the whole world and pray people like you are there when the time to answer for your judemental crap comes so they will give such wonderful comments for you !
The guy was on medication for some serious problems , but would not take his meds ,he was over thirty and lived with his mother and she was starting to have trouble getting him to take his medication ,the trains ,plains and automobiles are irrelevant what is relevant is the callous way you get a laugh !
He was a better man than any of ya'll because he had an excuse !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what's your's?
Posted by blahblah on October 22, 2008 at 9:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
earl---I don't think we "all" are getting a laugh out of this. Don't be so quick to judge "all" of us.
This is a very sad situation! Obviously, (especially from your comment), he did commit suicide, which was my original post. I hate that he couldn't get the help he needed and I pray his family can be strong through this.
Very sad!
Posted by earl on October 22, 2008 at 11:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
no I doubt he committed suicide ,I feel he was just unaware of what was going on around him and where he was at the time !
Posted by earl on October 22, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
besides the train runs thru his hometown too !
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