Re: WHY should the Railroad do anything???

Kevin,

Believe me, I have had the same feelings, and there have been a lot of times when I was running trains that I said "if he's too stupid to move, well .... the gene pool needs cleaning out anyway..." but in reality, I'd have to grit my teeth and stop. It really has nothing to do with the intelligence of the guy who gets run over; it is the sad fact that in this country nowadays, nobody takes responsibility for themselves. Million-dollar (sometimes frivilous) lawsuits run rampant and can put a company out of business in no time, either from a direct settlement, or the rising cost of insurance. Just think about the suit against McDonald's a few years ago, for hot coffee in a woman's lap (her own stupidity.) It's a shame, but that's how it is. Blame the lawyers and our government.

Skip Luke
Switchman (ret): Grand Canyon Railway;
Engineer (ret): Georgetown Loop RR Inc., Sumpter Valley Ry., Monticello & Sangamon Valley;
Dispatcher(ret): Illinois Central, White Pass & Yukon, Burlington Northern Ry.
Mariner, Musician, Miner