Fatality Avoided

Patrick's Note: On my Saturday roll, it's my Friday and I make every attempt to have fun. Yesterday, it was too difficult. I worked hard at it. I failed, and here's why.

* * * * *

First run of my last day of the week, I saw something horrible. Impossible to forget. Rolling northbound on Interstate Avenue, traffic was backed up, which was weird for a late Saturday afternoon. I rounded the bend approaching Tillamook and saw a MAX train stopped, surrounded by cops, firefighters/paramedics and a crowd of bystanders. My heart skipped. This stark scene was the epitome of every transit operator's  nightmare.

Rolling slow past the scene, my rearview revealed something (or some body) underneath the Operator's cabin. My immediate thoughts were for the Operator, and I quickly said a prayer for that poor soul. Just beyond the scene was a bus stop where several displaced rail passengers waited. One gentleman boarded, sadly shaking his head. I asked the obvious question.

"Some damn fool playing chicken with the train," he said, "and that crowd  started in on the Operator as if it was his fault the dumbass got hit. Dumbass motherfucks these days don't look out for themselves and blame them that do."

Just 20 minutes earlier, this train had passed me as I waited to relieve Roy. I always wave at our Rail Brothers and Sisters. Sometimes they return my salute, others are too riveted on the scene ahead to notice. They're busy watching out for distracted pedestrians, cyclists, motorists running red lights, and those damn scooter shooters. 

"Dumbass motherfucks these days don't look out for themselves and blame them that do." 

-- Bus Passenger

As I passed the grisly scene, I was intensely sad. That Operator had certainly passed me at 6/Washington. He had no idea what awaited him just a few minutes down the line. I'm sure he did everything possible to save a life. He did this time too, having likely saved several already during his shift and the days/weeks/months and perhaps years, prior.

The injured party had been having fun with his friends, feeling invincible as youth lies to all of us. By the time I arrived early at the Rose Quarter, this lad had, luckily for him, crawled out from underneath the mega-ton Light Rail Vehicle.

In the span of two weeks, two of my favorite sisters experienced devastating losses. One lost her son and a granddaughter in a vehicular tragedy; the other, her husband at home. I never met my sisters' loved ones, but I can only imagine the devastation they are living through. Tears of fear mingled with those of sympathy as I imagined the family of today's incident receiving possibly horrible news. 

Empathy and sympathy are emotions I feel without any sense of shame. Having lost several dear friends and family members, my tears flow because I know. That pain may dull a bit with time, but the memory never leaves us. Time stops suddenly, then only lulls forward with each, painfully-loud ticktock as we realize our beloved soul has left this world. It's a pain we cannot properly quantify in our own lives, even though we offer our "deepest" sympathy to others when it happens to them. My prayers are with the injured person and his family, that he will fully recover and learn from this to be more careful in his actions. Additionally, I offer the same towards the Rail Operator and Supervisors who responded.

It was interesting that no media outlet has reported on this incident that I know of. Usually, any transit mishap seems Top News in any municipality. The headlines are almost always the same, with the Operator evidently to blame. It's never the other way around. No matter how many hundreds of thousands of safe miles we log, that one incident where somebody is hit automatically becomes our fault. Lawsuits are often filed against the agency and our union member with the media jumping on the sympathetic bandwagon. Even our own agency fails to use strong language supporting its' front line, instead lamely proclaiming the incident "is under investigation".

It's not usually Operator error, folks. As when an airplane crashes... people believe the pilot at fault even as they calmly employed every technique to avoid disaster they had learned through a lifetime of service.

Unofficial reports of this mishap are that a group of motor scooter riders turned left in front of an oncoming train, ignoring the red arrow traffic signal and flashing warning of an oncoming 100,000-plus pound Beast. The last two were the only ones who didn't make it without being hit. They then reportedly tried to blame the Operator for their failure to obey a simple traffic signal. That’s why there are signals, to warn you of impending danger if you choose to break the law. Perhaps your daring ways were a way to win a Darwin Award. Keep up with that shit, and you're bound to win one.

Contrary to younger folks’ beliefs, safety is a two-way street. Yes, we are trained to watch for and plan to avoid, silly dipshidiocy. However, it takes time and finesse to stop a heavy vehicle traveling 20 mph. You're damn lucky the Operator likely predicted your lawbreaking recklessness. He should be given a medal for saving your life. 

Please, dear readers, be careful out there. Your loved ones need you to return home safely. We work hard to keep you out of the mortuary, and do so several times a day. Sometimes, you stack the odds against it. 

"Slow the flock down" signs on some of our buses read. Pay attention to all that surrounds you, especially on two wheels. Whether bicycle or motorcycle or those ridiculous "for rent" scooters. Ultimately, your safety is your responsibility. Relying on someone else is bound to end badly. We do our best out there, but if you refuse to obey the rules you're at extreme risk.

Portland's lame, inept and out-of-touch media has failed to report this, and many other incidents. Information which could keep people safe is sorely lacking in a city where many throw caution to the wind and expect others to be responsible for them. I don't know when it became a "thing" where my safety became solely another's responsibility, but I refuse to accept this prevailing wind when I'm "out there". If this trend continues, expect to see a rise in obituaries, because foolishness is rampant these days.

Don't automatically blame it on transit Operators. We save thousands of lives each year, simply doing as we were trained. Oh, and you're welcome.

Peace be with you all. Mostly, take your eyes off that phone long enough to pay attention to what's happening around you. The life you save will likely be your own.