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UER Forum > Archived US: Mid-Atlantic > Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge (Viewed 2300 times)
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Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
< on 10/26/2010 11:33 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
SPARTANBURG, SC (NBC) - A 16-year-old South Carolina boy was killed Sunday when he leaped off a train bridge to avoid being hit, according to the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office.

J. Dwayne Corn, an investigator for the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office, said that at about 1:10 p.m., Timothy Adam Vann jumped 50 feet from the Converse Train Bridge to avoid a Norfolk Southern Railroad train.

Corn said the teenager landed on rocks below and died minutes later.

"It's my understanding from a witness who was with this young man that they were out here just on an adventure. He was snapping some photos," Corn said.

The bridge crosses the Pacolet River in the Converse area a few miles northeast of Spartanburg.

It took firefighters about two hours to recover Vann's body.

According to Corn, Vann's 17-year-old friend also jumped to avoid the train but landed on a hill about 15 feet below and suffered minor injuries.

Corn said this is the fifth or sixth mishap at the train trestle in recent years.

The bridge is posted with "no trespassing" signs.

Corn said according to Norfolk Southern train engineers, the train was going 52 mph when it crossed the bridge.

The Coroner's Office said that Vann was a junior honor student at Spartanburg High School.

Grief counselors were at the high school on Monday to help students cope with the death.

Officials planned to have counselors at Spartanburg High School on Monday to help students cope with the death.

The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and Coroner's Office as well as the Norfolk Southern Railroad Police continue to investigate what happened.

Copyright 2010 NBC. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



officeninja 


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so thats whats next to the data center

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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 1 on 10/26/2010 2:49 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
that setup is practically identical to a bridge near where i grew up, we spent many a night under it with a trash barrel fire going and bottles of tequila, and after careful examination and measurements we determined you could lie down on the outside edge and be safe when the train ran through, it was kinda a right of passage, face your fears and all that, now that i am older i recognize it for what it truly was, STUPIDITY. trains are not stealthy and you should always have plenty of time to get to one side or the other and land on the bank, at the very least there should be another set of tracks for a train going the opposite way that would be safe to wait on. i recognize this as a terrible tragedy, hopefully some good will come from it and others will learn better ways to handle it in the future.

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Avius 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 2 on 10/26/2010 3:28 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by officeninja
trains are not stealthy and you should always have plenty of time to get to one side or the other and land on the bank, at the very least there should be another set of tracks for a train going the opposite way that would be safe to wait on. i recognize this as a terrible tragedy, hopefully some good will come from it and others will learn better ways to handle it in the future.


From the picture, this looks like a one-track trestle without much clearance, and the article said the train was going close to 60mph. If they were out on the middle, they were probably screwed by the time they even realized what was happening.

It's scary because that's the sort of thing I might have done. If you're used to the slow, lumbering pace that a freight takes through town, it's really easy to be caught off-guard when you meet one speeding through the countryside.

This is definitely a good reminder that trestles are not a good place to hang out unless you have a lot of information about train schedules or a good mid-trestle escape route.

In places forgotten, tread where you will. -=- http://www.flickr.com/photos/avius/
Soldat 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 3 on 10/26/2010 4:09 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
http://www.youtube...atch?v=sYUG8elGsMM

consecrated 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 4 on 10/26/2010 4:14 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by officeninja
you could lie down on the outside edge and be safe when the train ran through

not always

trains are not stealthy

Anything moving ~60mph towards you is stealthy. It's physics.

Soldat 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 5 on 10/26/2010 4:18 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by consecrated



Anything moving ~60mph towards you is stealthy. It's physics.


No not really. I had abrams thunder by me at 50 mph. Not very quiet.

The high speed trolly into 69th st station runs at 70mph between stations, and I can still hear that coming when it is a off a bit thats an electric engine single light car. A Diesel Electric freight train makes a racket.



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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 6 on 10/26/2010 4:30 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Hang off the edge by arms alone and hope you keep your fingers.

"No risk, no reward, no fun."
"Go all the way or walk away"
escensi omnis...
uLiveAndYouBurn 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 7 on 10/26/2010 5:46 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Avius


unless you have a lot of information about train schedules


Freights don't have schedules.

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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 8 on 10/26/2010 5:55 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Soldat222
http://www.youtube...atch?v=sYUG8elGsMM


this scene is the reason i avoid elevated train tracks like the plague...

but in all honesty, was there nowhere for these boys to like press themselves onto the outer edges of the bridge? are the trains that close to the enclosures where it would still hit the boys?

We're all just trapped between the stippled earth and the stubbled sky.
Rinzler 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 9 on 10/26/2010 5:58 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by TheVicariousVadder
Hang off the edge by arms alone and hope you keep your fingers.


Yea i would be right there with you on that.

consecrated 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 10 on 10/26/2010 6:12 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Played
Yea i would be right there with you on that.


I think I would have at least tried that first, before jumping.

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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 11 on 10/26/2010 6:47 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Soldat222


No not really. I had abrams thunder by me at 50 mph. Not very quiet.

The high speed trolly into 69th st station runs at 70mph between stations, and I can still hear that coming when it is a off a bit thats an electric engine single light car. A Diesel Electric freight train makes a racket.




Try hearing the train around a corner. I know that in the Freedom Tunnel, where there's no power rail for the train (so they're running the engine) the first thing that tells you a train is coming up behind you is the fact that you're casting shadows...

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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 12 on 10/26/2010 9:50 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Objects coming toward you are always quieter than those going away from you.



It's easy to be surprised by a train. Even in the subway I could feel the air start to move before I could hear it distinctly. Maybe that's different for the guys who run tracks a lot or changes outside a tunnel/platform... but it's always a damn good idea to have an escape route planned if you're anywhere near the path of heavy machinery moving at speed.

Also, you can theoretically lay down between the tracks and be fine. It takes some willpower and I'd definitely piss myself, but if you're trapped between a train going mach damnit and a lethal jump, it might be a good thing to keep in mind.
[last edit 10/26/2010 9:53 PM by bouncewiggle - edited 1 times]

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jeepdave 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 13 on 10/27/2010 8:36 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Been there, and on that track. Pretty spot, when I heard this on the Local news ( Channel 7 ) I was worried it could be someone on here. They said they were taking pictures.

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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 14 on 10/29/2010 2:09 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Thats crazy......I sure i could of heard a train, or at least held on to the side.......

All men are created equal, then a few become firefighters.
Gutter Monkey 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 15 on 10/29/2010 2:49 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by consecrated

I think I would have at least tried that first, before jumping.


Hanging off the side rather than jumping 50 feet onto rocks sounds like an obvious choice, I'm guessing they panicked and jumped.

\/adder 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 16 on 10/29/2010 2:56 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Gutter Monkey


Hanging off the side rather than jumping 50 feet onto rocks sounds like an obvious choice, I'm guessing they panicked and jumped.


Few years back some idiots around here were on a train bridge above a highway overpass ... first responders said they probably survived the landing but not the semi ... ouch.

"No risk, no reward, no fun."
"Go all the way or walk away"
escensi omnis...
Byberrian Fanman 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 17 on 10/29/2010 3:46 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
When it comes to single-track trestle bridges like this, there really needs to be a grated metal safety walkway alongside at least one side (if not both sides) of the trestle, supported by every other longer railroad tie. Now of course, this safety measure depends on the railroad.. not all of them are smart.

Soldat 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 18 on 11/1/2010 5:15 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Byberrian Fanman
When it comes to single-track trestle bridges like this, there really needs to be a grated metal safety walkway alongside at least one side (if not both sides) of the trestle, supported by every other longer railroad tie. Now of course, this safety measure depends on the railroad.. not all of them are smart.


Apparently they are smart enough not to walk across single track trestles and get hit. It seems its the non-railroad people who aren't too smart.

musket boy 


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Re: Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge
<Reply # 19 on 11/1/2010 5:51 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by bouncewiggle
you can theoretically lay down between the tracks and be fine.


rails are 6-7 inches tall and the plow on the front of an engine sits 1-3 inches above that, I don't think its something you'd want to try for the first time in an emergency. plus imagine what just one hose or a bit of chain could do to you if it were hanging too low at 60mph.

I would have hung off the edge by my fingers til the train passed but thats just me
[last edit 11/1/2010 5:57 PM by musket boy - edited 1 times]

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UER Forum > Archived US: Mid-Atlantic > Teen dies after jumping from railroad bridge (Viewed 2300 times)
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