Train Kills One Photographer And Injures Two More While Taking Photos On Train Rails
Oct 13, 2014
Udi Tirosh
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
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Apparently the risk taken while walking on/near railroads does not match the need for taking beautiful photos.
One man was killed and another two injured while taking photos on a train trestle in Santa Barbara.
According to Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason the 4 people foreign students were standing on a trestle which bridges a coastal canyon taking pictures. when an Amtrak train came near they tried to get off the trestle, but did not make it.
Only a month ago a wedding party escaped a close encounter with a train in what Reddit commenter city_nightowl pointed out to be more than a few isolated incidents. There have been many similar cases over the last few years:
- July 2014- Train runs over photographers on trestle; they miraculously survive
- June 2014- Photographer in Missouri hit and killed during photo shoot
- June 2014- Photographer hit and dragged by train while taking pictures on the track
- February 2014- Professional video crew member for ‘Midnight Rider’ hit and killed
- January 2014- Jersey Boys band member posing on tracks hit and killed
- 2013- Cameraman filming ‘train surfers’ hit by train and dies
- 2012- Video of photographer being hit by train
- 2012- Photography teacher hit and killed while photographing trains
- Union Pacific pleads for photographers to stay off tracks
- Map of train injuries/fatalities in the US in one year
- 840 die/injured from trespassing on train tracks annually, Norfolk Southern rail safety
And all we have to say here, is be careful. There isn’t a single photo, as remarkable as it is, that is worth risking your life.
[noozhawk.com via reddit | lead image by Len Matthews]
Udi Tirosh
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
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16 responses to “Train Kills One Photographer And Injures Two More While Taking Photos On Train Rails”
Clichés kill?
Snark is never the appropriate response to reports of someone’s death.
i think the headline is misleading. stupidity kills…
Stay off the tracks and especially trestles. Dear God in heaven so far the photos I’ve seen done on tracks have stunk anyway.
And there’s even a website about this: http://dumbwaystodie.com
Good. If you’re that stupid, you deserve it.
Even the smartest people are prone to doing stupid things. That does not mean they “deserve” to die.
That is an inhumane thing to say whether you are anonymous on the internet or not. I might even call it stupid…
And let the holier than thou a-holes begin.
People died, and you smugly sit there behind your keyboard saying, “Told you so!” There is no need for it. They died. You don’t have to announce to the world what you think of them for grieving their families and friends. They died, the damage is already done.
Everyone does something dumb in their life. Anyone who thinks they have never done something that could have directly caused their death without a little bit of luck, is a terrible fool.
Take it as a cautionary tale.
Article says nothing close to “Told you so”. It’s a reminder to those participating in this dangerous activity.
I’m not talking about the article. It’s the comments.
Sorry, my bad. But your admonishment of “I told you so” doesn’t seem to apply to any particular comment either.
Probably true. It was poorly phrased.
Thank goodness your own holier than thou attitude got posted before theirs.
When I see stories like this I’m always surprised that the danger wasn’t more evident to the people involved. I don’t mean that to blame them in anyway. To the contrary, I wonder what it is about trains that creates false sense of security or safety that ultimately lulls so many into a dangerous situation. This is really the scary part of this because I love trains and would like to photograph them more when/if time allows and try to use good judgement. But with a list as long as the one above, I would image many of those people thought they were using good judgement too.
It is also trespassing and therefore illegal:
http://www.uprr.com/newsinfo/releases/safety/2013/0416_pro-photogs.shtml