dirtyfacedan
Well-known member
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.
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.
