Posted on 09/24/2008 2:01:30 PM PDT by WaveMan
Disturbing details are emerging from that train crash in California:
Engineer Robert Sanchez called back to the conductor that the first signal was flashing yellow and then no other communications. The train would then run two more lights, a solid yellow and a red signal never did the train slow and never did the engineer or the conductor pull the emergency brake.
The railroad investigators are blown away that, 1.) the engineer blew thru all the signals and the switch (I am told youd either have to do it on purpose or be disabled); and, 2.) that the conductor didnt pull the emergency brake, which I am told is not only an immediately fire-able offense, but just about criminally negligent.
In fact, as this investigation proceeds, a source close to the investigation says in order for the engineer to miss three lights a flashing yellow, a solid yellow and a red hed really have to be trying. He said that the distance between the lights, as well as the switch the engineer blew through, was more than enough distance to stop. He said it couldnt have been a matter of just being distracted while texting
like a car driver who talks or texts and misses a light.
(Excerpt) Read more at onthescene.blogs.foxnews.com ...
Those who take their meds by mouth are nowhere nearly as likely to have a sudden onset event as those inject the meds. For an insulin-dependent diabetic the onset of problems from not getting the medication is relatively slow. OTOH, too much medication is much more dramatic and can lead to problems, up to and including loss of consciousness and death.
With insufficient medication the person's blood sugar rises relatively slowly and the onset of symptoms is also slower. Too much medication causes patient's blood sugar to drop, possibly very quickly and the problem is one of low blood sugar, hypoglycemia.
FYI, generally speaking the first aid for either high or low blood sugar is the same and that is to give the patient sugar. If they have high blood sugar, hyperglycemia, the additional sugar won't amount to much since their sugar is already sky high. OTHO, if they have dangerously low blood sugar the treatment could save their life.
There are of course exceptions to every rule and diabetes is a very complicated condition, but this is the basic info.
Is this commonly the case these days (BNSF)?
I've found that having video from a camera looking out the car windshield quite capable of recording infractions to allow improved safety. A video system should be easily able to see another oncoming train (except around the curve in question) and be able to apply the brakes, but given the low braking decelerations of trains, it wouldn't help much. Some type of encripted broadcast of front and rear of train GPS location at a fairly high data rate would better allow trains to watch out for each other.
The railroad investigators are blown away that, 1.) the engineer blew thru all the signals and the switch (I am told youd either have to do it on purpose or be disabled); and, 2.) that the conductor didnt pull the emergency brake, which I am told is not only an immediately fire-able offense, but just about criminally negligent.
The solid yellow is about 100 yards in front of the Chatsworth station which he stopped at to take on passengers. The red signal is at the very begining of the curve. I just got off that train 30 minutes ago. I ride it every day. From the time the engine passed the red signal to the time the trains collided would have been about 4 seconds. I timed it. The emergency brake is not within 4 seconds of where the conductor was standing.
BNSF is actually not doing the work. The company I work for is developing these systems for the railroads and the technology is very good. It just isn’t feasible to apply it everywhere it needs to be, yet.
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