Almost Died | Squat the Planet

Almost Died

Trvshwvng

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A sobering thing went down within the past couple days. I'm here in Tallahassee with my wife and another StP user (not sure if they wanna be named so I won't til further notice) doing some recon at the yard to determine the best spot to hop on & head west for an event in Vegas. We finally find a decent spot with all the essentials complete with a coin op laundry and decide to spange for some food and wash our gear while waiting for our ride to come through. Some Rainbow dude gives me a couple quarters and seems eager to help so I have him shoot me along the road in his truck right quick to see if anything is going down in the yard. Sure enough there's five Union Pacific units getting ready to pull a junk line in our direction. I have the driver flip around and drop me back at the coin op and thank him before letting the other two know the hour is nigh. Here's some irony: I'm singing Murdertrain by Dethklok in my beat Mashed Potatoes Johnson voice minutes before this fucked up incident.

DINGDINGDING
The RR Xing across from us tells us "Hey kids! Time to go!" So we gear up and run over, not giving a fuck about the ten cars on the street about to watch us hop on the fly. The units pass out of sight and here come a few rideable grainers. My wife is the greenest so with safety in mind we send her first in case of the unspeakable taking place and damn good thing...

She attempts to run along side and jump to get hold of the ladder but instead gets thrown and spins STRAIGHT DOWN to the fucking rails. Her pack gets caught on the freight and starts dragging her along (wish she remembered the quick release on her ALICE like I taught her but panic immobilizes some). My buddy and I froze for a split second as she was being dragged and I remember yelling FUCK NO!!!! Luckily reality overcame horror and he took off with me in tail, ripped her from the tracks and I dragged her back onto the street. She sat there dazed with most of her arm and leg free of any skin that was once there. I took her torn pack and threw it into some shrubs and tried to get her to stand while our friend called 911 and split after making sure she was gonna live. She couldn't stand, left leg definitely broken so I carried her off the street and into the shade when I confirmed there wasn't any back or neck damage. Cops come, blah blah. CDA contacts CSX but luckily only charge pressed was some Florida statute "attempting to ride train without pay" which was kinda funny once I wasn't so shook up. Anyway a broken tibia and fibula later she awaits surgery tomorrow and 10 weeks of recover. Clean break right below the knee and will likely have leg trouble later in life. However very lucky to be alive. I've never come as close to dying as her and most haven't; so save any cynical hate speech and you preachers make sure ya back is to the choir please. I mean she was face to face with the wheels spinnin for a minute there and carried 50ft before getting pulled out and we all know the possibilities that could've manifested into something a little TOO real. This post is meant to be a reminder to everyone about what happens out there - take it as you will.
 
T

Toasty Tramp

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I'm glad to hear no lives were lost. Terrible thing to happen, but at least she's still breathing. Hope recovery and everything else goes well, wish you guys the best of luck.
 

Trvshwvng

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Thanks man, seems like everything is gonna be fine. Btw read your post about Officer Bacon. I was right near that same Flying J not long ago - damn near crossed paths.
 
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ATX

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Man, this is why I've always been afraid to hop on the fly. Having a dog has fortunately precented me from ever trying. Speedy recovery mentally and physically to both of you.
 
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Toasty Tramp

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Glad to hear everything should be fine :)

Man! Wish we would have crossed. Having a random StP get together go down would've been literally the only way to make the thing even better.
 

Trvshwvng

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Yeah ATX, and only her second ride Enough to be a bit discouraging. Silver lining: We'll won't have to check weather for rain while traveling w/ all the metals in her lol. Also, she hates dilaudid and they keep bringing her 2mgs a few times a day. The morphine button nods her the fuck out so she dont take em. I'm sure y'all can figure out the rest.

And MilkToast, that surely would've made an interesting encounter. Seems like cops often got this habit o' spanging themselves for me so it mighta called for two six packs that day eh?
 

Odin

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Damn... :(
Get well soon...
 
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buffalobill

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Shit sorry is their Medicare availible ??? This seems to personal I'm not very well versed for the super complex insurance policys could you get treated with out any identification aka illegal.
 
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Tude

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Wow that is scary - so glad you rescued her - can't imagine seeing that. Get well soon!!
 
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Trvshwvng

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Thanks Anagor, she has a thing for Europeans so that'll brighten her spirits. buffalobill, she does have whatever weird state insurance the govt is pandering out and Florida did accept it but we jumped through hoops to make it happen. Emergency services are to be provided under federal law, ID or not. That's the story I got at least. Tude, I can't in good conscience take credit for rescuing her because I don't think I woulda been capable on my own had the anonymous third party not been there to take off toward her first.
 
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VikingAdventurer

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Wow. I'm super glad you guys are (mostly) ok. I'm always really careful when I hop on the fly, and if I feel that ANYTHING is not an optimal condition (even if it's "just a feeling"), I nope the fuck away from the train & wait for the next one. I actually did that over the weekend, ABQ to Amarillo. I stood next to 5 or 6 different trains, any of which I probably could've gotten on, and they all "felt wrong". I even got on one of 'em, and then got a bad feeling, so I jumped off and waited again.

Safe travels, with emphasis on the SAFE part.
 

Trvshwvng

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Viking_Adventurer, I often make decisions based on intuition as well. Not to the point where it overshadows reason though. I'm going to be perfectly honest here and state that I had sat down with my wife after watching her fail to catch an IM on the fly recently and stated my opinion that she is most likely not cut out to be on the rails. She responded by accusing me of patronizing her and REFUSED to believe that what I said was true. Literally said "I refuse to believe that", all while knowing I'm at least "well versed" and it doesn't take an expert to have an idea of someone's capabilities. Oh well. Some learn the hard way.
 
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spectacular

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Once I got off a train going too fast and fell on the back of my head and nearly cracked my head open. Def a concussion. Moving trains really are no joke at all. Better to wait for one going super slow or stopped completely.
 

Trvshwvng

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bizzolizzo, I bailed my first two times hopping off, once busted a pack strap and the next I was rolling into Worcester MA around 3am in utter blackness and hit the ground hard but luckily barrel rolled and only injured a finger and sprained wrist. Just enough to be annoying for the next couple weeks.

As for the wife she's ok as of now. Road rash looks heinous and kinda awesome. They've split the surgery into two stages, the first being to install a stabilizer on her leg for two weeks until the swelling reduces. That part is done with. Next they're gonna have to put some steel rods in her. We're in the hospital now watching Thomas the Tank Engine
 

Trvshwvng

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I said stabilizer, excuse me its called an "external fixator". Check it out.
 

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