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Suicide by train is common problem for conductors

Opinion

Written by Brian McCauley

Wednesday, 22 April 2009 08:00

In April 2006, members of the Union Pacific Railroad, Paola Police Department and Kansas Highway Patrol gathered at the Peoria Street crossing in Paola to plan out an attempt to catch vehicles trying to beat trains at railroad crossings.

The issue was a growing problem, as some drivers would even swerve around crossing arms as they were down.
Despite the safety concern at hand, conductor Phil Boude, engineer Don Terry and Manager of Operating Practices Steve Stith spent much of the day talking about another growing problem that plagues their job field — suicide by train.

The railroad veterans said anyone who has been in the industry for at least a couple years likely has experienced at least one suicide by train, if not more. It’s something that truly upset the men, who said the act can scar a conductor for life and leave them with a lasting image burned into their memory.

Thursday night, almost exactly three years from that safety exercise, a pedestrian was killed on those very same tracks near Peoria Street. Although the investigation is still ongoing, it appears the incident was a suicide, as witnesses saw the 70-year-old man lay down across the tracks as the train was approaching, sounding its warning horn, according to a police report.

One can only imagine what the train conductor saw or what law enforcement and other emergency officials had to deal with after the incident.

The issue is one that’s not easily avoidable, as Stith estimated a mile-long train traveling 60 miles per hour would take a mile or more to stop. Also, a train can weigh as much as 20,000 tons, according to the train officials.

Even though witnesses said the train Thursday night was only traveling about 10 miles per hour when it hit the man, that was more than enough to end one life and change several others forever.

Family members and friends should always be vigilant of any suicidal tendencies being portrayed by a loved one, and that includes an infatuation with trains and talking about standing on or laying down on a track.

All suicides are devastating for family members, but suicides by train can also put train officials under unbelievable stress and guilt. Let’s hope it’s an issue that doesn’t arise in Paola again.

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