# "Bright" youth hit by train wearing Ipod.



## dirtyfacedan (May 22, 2009)

Teenager walking on train tracks killed while listening to iPod




KAMLOOPS – A 19-year-old Kamloops man may not have heard an approaching train because he was listening to an iPod while walking the tracks east of town.

Liam Peel, a graduate of Valleyview secondary, died shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday when he was hit by a CP Rail train.

News of Peel’s death sent a wave of grief through the secondary school, where the teen completed high school last year.

Why Peel was on the tracks is not known, but the train’s conductor told CP Rail Police and Kamloops RCMP the young man was heading into town from Dallas when the westbound train came upon him.

RCMP Sgt. Scott Wilson said Peel was dressed in a black hoodie with his back to the oncoming train. He was walking along one of the rails like it was a balancing beam.

“By the time the conductor actually saw this person he was unable to stop the train in time,” he said.

CP Rail spokesman Mike LoVecchio said the conductor sounded the whistle a number of times and flashed the engine’s lights to get Peel’s attention. The brakes were also applied.

The train was travelling at about 56 km/h and would have taken more than two kilometres to stop, he said.

“There was no way he could have stopped. A train cannot stop as quickly as an automobile or a transport truck,” said LoVecchio.

A 911-phone call from the conductor brought police, paramedics and firefighters to the scene. Peel’s body was found on the side of the tracks.

Investigators found an iPod and pair of ear buds inside the hoodie. That could explain why Peel did not hear the approaching the train, said Wilson.

“The question obviously is how can somebody be walking on a rail and not hear a train? A very good answer could be he had music on at the time,” he said.

Naomi Smith, a registered audiologist with Interior Health, agrees. She said an iPod cranks out 100 decibels at maximum volume. And even though a train’s whistle would be louder, there is something about ear buds that drown out outside sound.

“They had the potential to impair his hearing,” said Smith.

That appeared to be the case when a helicopter crashed in Cranbrook last year. One of the victims was wearing ear buds as he walked along the street and did not appear to hear the falling helicopter.

It didn’t take long for news of Peel’s death to reach his former high school. Principal William Hamblett said district counsellors were brought in to help students cope with the loss.

“We have a number of seniors who are visibly upset,” he said. Some were allowed to take the day off from school.

“He knew a lot of people in Valleyview.”

Peel was a ~bright~, likable youth with a good sense of humour. And he was well liked by students and staff, he said.

Hamblett had not been in touch with Peel’s family, but offered them his condolences.

“My sympathy goes out to them.”

Peel has a younger sister who attended the school.

The incident was also traumatic for those on the train. LoVecchio said the crew is taking a couple of days off and undergoing trauma counselling.

Rail traffic was moving again by 7 a.m. Kamloops RCMP and the coroner’s service are aiding CP police in the investigation.

LoVecchio reminded people train tracks are private property. Anyone caught walking on them can be charged with trespassing, he said."




He wasn't that bright. If he was using his head, he would have known that trains use train tracks, and when the metal meets the meat, metal always wins. I always yell at people to get the fuck away from the lines, they don't know what the fuck they are doing. Doubly so when wearing an Ipod. What a fool.


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## ianfernite (May 23, 2009)

Same thing happened in Lancaster County a year or two ago. He was skateboarding, though.
I don't understand it, though; there's no fucking way a pair of ear buds could block out the sound of a train. I used to use ear buds, and I could still hear cars when it was turned up the whole way.
Honestly, if you get hit by a train and you aren't trying to kill yourself, you're fucking stupid. They're big, they're loud, and if an iPod is enough to make you not notice one, you should never go anywhere near a train or tracks.


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## jabbyscabby (May 23, 2009)

Wow this had also happened right next to my old high school!!! Some home bum was walking the tracks back to the train listening to his Cd player!!! And Smash he's dead! Sadly sense he was homeless no one really knew him and the body was so badly damage i don't even think they could tell who it was!!! When I'm walking the tracks i can usually "when in town" here it coming like 5 minutes before I actually see it. but then again I'm a rail fan so I'm obsessed. 
Well all i can say is he was asking for it!


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## ianfernite (May 23, 2009)

Hell, I wear big fucking noise cancelling headphones, and I still am able to pay attention. I would never wear them in a yard or on tracks, though ... but I've always preferred to walk BESIDE the tracks.


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## finn (May 24, 2009)

I think the police and his family were just looking for some excuse to not call it suicide. If you walk on a rail right after a train has passes, you'll be able to feel the train moving if it's at speed. And the horn alone will make some part of your body vibrate. It's what he wanted in his own inconsiderate way.


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## Ravie (May 24, 2009)

hey if i were to go that sounds good to me. listening to my favorite song and being taken out by a ruthless singing beauty. but actually, i had a pair of ear buds that actually suction into your ear like a plunger, even without music playing you cant hear shit. its nice, but a bad idea if your other senses are dull. i can blast music and walk allover town but i only do that because i'm sensitive to motion and i pay alot of attention with my eyes.


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## CdCase123 (May 25, 2009)

fucking sad is all i have to say. im not going to judge this dude. i walk on train tracks all the time.


FTW


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## stove (May 25, 2009)

I dunno about the earbuds excuse, when you're walking on the rail (c'mon, we've all done it once or twice), you can feel the damn thing vibrating if anything larger than a utility vehicle is rolling down on you. Dumbass was asking for it.


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## veggieguy12 (May 25, 2009)

After having just read & posted on the thread about kids & overpopulation, this kinda makes me want to announce an iPod give-away, at 1am in a dark train yard...

Now waiting for the lawsuit from the kid's family against Apple...
This post should have been titled "Cheap iPod on Craigslist in Kamloops"...


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## ianfernite (May 25, 2009)

veggieguy12 said:


> This post should have been titled "Cheap iPod on Craigslist in Kamloops"...




:hysterical:


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## I hate dumb fucks (May 25, 2009)

You are all a bunch of stunned fucks, quick to judge based on a story with missing details. I have known the young man for 10 years, and he absolutely did not kill himself. This was a tragic accident and nothing more. Let's break down the missing facts. #1 look at the time, there was a level of sleep deprivation that came in to play. This mans day was ending, not starting. #2 there was alcohol involved, so yes while not a smart decision to walk on the tracks, I know you all have done some fuckin' stupid shit drunk. #3, 5am is daylight in kamloops this time of year and the flashing lights would not have been seen coming from behind the man. #4 the family is grieving and not interested in suing anybody. That is an American greed culture that sues for their wealth of individual stupidity. So, have some respect you fuckin' cunts. Do the world a favour and jump off a cliff. Save the oxygen for the intelligent ones in society. :thebird::die:


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## veggieguy12 (May 25, 2009)

Hey, I may have been making light of a tragedy, but I'm not misjudging. (I'm not _genuinely_ expecting a lawsuit from the family.)

I don't figure it was a suicide, I'm just not mourning the death. Sorry for you and your friend and his family, but it's not my loss - and I wouldn't expect you to care if it was.
Big deal if I die tomorrow, too.


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## Angela (May 25, 2009)

I hate dumb fucks said:


> You are all a bunch of stunned fucks, quick to judge based on a story with missing details. I have known the young man for 10 years, and he absolutely did not kill himself. This was a tragic accident and nothing more. Let's break down the missing facts. #1 look at the time, there was a level of sleep deprivation that came in to play. This mans day was ending, not starting. #2 there was alcohol involved, so yes while not a smart decision to walk on the tracks, I know you all have done some fuckin' stupid shit drunk. #3, 5am is daylight in kamloops this time of year and the flashing lights would not have been seen coming from behind the man. #4 the family is grieving and not interested in suing anybody. That is an American greed culture that sues for their wealth of individual stupidity. So, have some respect you fuckin' cunts. Do the world a favour and jump off a cliff. Save the oxygen for the intelligent ones in society. :thebird::die:



Let me guess, you registered just to get that off your chest. That's sad. No we don't know if it was suicide, my guess is it probably wasn't since there's much more sure ways to knock yourself off if you want to than that and especially if there was alcohol involved but it still wasn't smart. Unfortunately most of us on here do know people who have died because they were drunk and being stupid. Go mourn your friend in a respectful fashion. Hint: that post wasn't what I'd call mourning him in a respectful way. We have a nice section titled "catching the westbound" if you'd like to make a more thoughtful tribute to him.


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## Poking Victim (May 26, 2009)

I love how Canadians think they're much different than Americans. There's just as much white trash up there.


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## dirtyfacedan (May 26, 2009)

I hate dumb fucks said:


> You are all a bunch of stunned fucks, quick to judge based on a story with missing details. I have known the young man for 10 years, and he absolutely did not kill himself. This was a tragic accident and nothing more. Let's break down the missing facts. #1 look at the time, there was a level of sleep deprivation that came in to play. This mans day was ending, not starting. #2 there was alcohol involved, so yes while not a smart decision to walk on the tracks, I know you all have done some fuckin' stupid shit drunk. #3, 5am is daylight in kamloops this time of year and the flashing lights would not have been seen coming from behind the man. #4 the family is grieving and not interested in suing anybody. That is an American greed culture that sues for their wealth of individual stupidity. So, have some respect you fuckin' cunts. Do the world a favour and jump off a cliff. Save the oxygen for the intelligent ones in society. :thebird::die:



That being said.....people who don't know how to behave near tracks SHOULD STAY THE FUCK OFF THE LINES!!! Railroads are not for people to casually take a morning stroll on!!! Either you know what's going on, or you STAY THE FUCK AWAY!! I put the thread here to highlight how a simple careless act can turn deadly, not to mock the guy. Anyone who knows trains has had many close encounters with death.


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## I hate dumb fucks (May 26, 2009)

What he did was no doubt STUPID as HELL, but for somebody to suggest suicide without knowing the facts is no smarter. I was simply giving you the facts that the story did not. Anybody dying a senseless death is tragic, and family and friends of any lost one don't need to come accross such disrespectful comments such as the one by finn, at which my first post was primarily directed. It was a stupid fuckin move, we've all made dumb fuck moves, most of us were fortunate and lived through them.

The point is, next time you decide to be so ignorant on a post, remember that there are search engines that will find your posts. Think about how your family would feel to read such things.


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## veggieguy12 (May 26, 2009)

I hate dumb fucks said:


> The point is, next time you decide to be so ignorant on a post, remember that there are search engines that will find your posts. Think about how your family would feel to read such things.



Hmm. Your friend just died in a horrible mistake -so you jump on Google, find this forum thread (and I'll bet it's not the only one with snarky or maligning comments), and make a mission of 'getting back' at "stupid/rude/jackass" Internet posters?
I guess you and I have different priorities. Best wishes, sir!


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## finn (May 26, 2009)

Damned right I'm quick to judge. If someone dies doing something really stupid, I'll consider it suicide, and to me it doesn't matter if it's drugs or riding a bike blindfolded or riding on a suicide or walking on the tracks while you're drunk and sleep-deprived. Now he may have been a good friend and may have been on a path to becoming a great person, but I didn't say anything about that and it's not the point. Now if you want for him to be more than an example on why walking on the tracks is a bad idea, you should work on preserving and spreading his memories, his personal stories and ideas. (this is the reason I am working on this project here)

I am preventing you from posting for a full month, so you don't procrastinate by being on this site. If you disagree with tihis decision, you can PM me.


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## soymilkshakes (May 26, 2009)

Seriously? What the hell is this fight about? If one of my friends died and I found out strangers were talking shit I'd flip out, too.
What exactly happened when this kid died is basically irrelevant. He's dead. Respect the grieving people he left behind, don't walk on the tracks like a dumb-dumb, and leave it be.


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