Lucky Escapes

[blessmycottonsocks]

Some remarkable details emerging about the Liverpool bomb blast yesterday.
The taxi driver - David Perry, was originally instructed to drive to Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral, where a Remembrance Day service was in progress. They became delayed in traffic and the passenger asked Perry to stop at the city's Women's Hospital. Perry noticed the passenger was fiddling with a suspicious attachment to his clothing, so Perry locked the passenger compartment and jumped out, just before the bomb detonated. The terrorist was incinerated and Perry suffered moderate injuries requiring stitches.

https://www.ibtimes.sg/who-david-pe...-car-moments-before-explosion-liverpool-61275

 

[maximus otter]

This Wisconsin Amazon delivery man can't believe he survived being broadsided by a train.

FULL STORY: https://www.wisn.com/article/amazon-delivery-driver-struck-by-amtrak-train-survived/38239454

I have just had a look at the locus on Google Earth. How TF did this cretin manage to be hit by a train here?

The countryside is flatter than Bonnie Langford's chest, and there is ample signage leading up to the level crossing:

I think the clue here might be that it was the driver's birthday. Perhaps he had already - celebrated - the day in fine style, and was"well refreshed"?

Anyway, he's a moron.

"Evans said he feels something more needs to be done to alert drivers of oncoming trains." What, like being sober, opening your eyes and learning how to ****ing drive?

I'm glad that I don't live in Wisconsin.

maximus otter

 

[ramonmercado]

Some remarkable details emerging about the Liverpool bomb blast yesterday.
The taxi driver - David Perry, was originally instructed to drive to Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral, where a Remembrance Day service was in progress. They became delayed in traffic and the passenger asked Perry to stop at the city's Women's Hospital. Perry noticed the passenger was fiddling with a suspicious attachment to his clothing, so Perry locked the passenger compartment and jumped out, just before the bomb detonated. The terrorist was incinerated and Perry suffered moderate injuries requiring stitches.

https://www.ibtimes.sg/who-david-pe...-car-moments-before-explosion-liverpool-61275

Perry deserves to be awarded the George Medal

 

[Swifty]

Some remarkable details emerging about the Liverpool bomb blast yesterday.
The taxi driver - David Perry, was originally instructed to drive to Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral, where a Remembrance Day service was in progress. They became delayed in traffic and the passenger asked Perry to stop at the city's Women's Hospital. Perry noticed the passenger was fiddling with a suspicious attachment to his clothing, so Perry locked the passenger compartment and jumped out, just before the bomb detonated. The terrorist was incinerated and Perry suffered moderate injuries requiring stitches.

https://www.ibtimes.sg/who-david-pe...-car-moments-before-explosion-liverpool-61275

Wow. That's going to be a tale to tell for the rest of the driver's life.

 

[escargot]

Some remarkable details emerging about the Liverpool bomb blast yesterday.
The taxi driver - David Perry, was originally instructed to drive to Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral, where a Remembrance Day service was in progress. They became delayed in traffic and the passenger asked Perry to stop at the city's Women's Hospital. Perry noticed the passenger was fiddling with a suspicious attachment to his clothing, so Perry locked the passenger compartment and jumped out, just before the bomb detonated. The terrorist was incinerated and Perry suffered moderate injuries requiring stitches.

https://www.ibtimes.sg/who-david-pe...-car-moments-before-explosion-liverpool-61275

I've read that but the video of the explosion shows the car skidding to a halt and then blowing up, and THEN the driver getting out and running off. At that point there was no fire. So I dunno.

 

[EnolaGaia]

I have just had a look at the locus on Google Earth. How TF did this cretin manage to be hit by a train here? ...

It wasn't difficult at all - given the scene's layout, timing, and the driver's sensory deficit.

Here's a map view that shows the actual paths of the truck and the train.

The driver was pulling out of a back road (parallel to the railroad tracks) onto the primary road that crosses the tracks. The distance between the back road and crossing is so short that by the time he straightened out after the turn he was at / on the crossing.

Prior to his making his turn onto the primary road at the crossing the train was approaching from his left rear at 80 mph. The driver is deaf in his left ear.

Here's a ground level view looking back in the direction from which both the truck and train approached the crossing. Notice how different elevations and surrounding foliage limited / obscured the driver's ability to see the oncoming train in advance (e.g., in his rearview mirror(s)).

Given the greater-than-90-degree turn and the typical delivery driver's bias to maintain constant motion, it only required a 1 to 2 second suspension of situation awareness while making the turn to put him in the 'oh shit!' situation of either trying to stop short or beat the train.

The driver obviously chose the wrong course of action, if (big if) he'd left himself a choice at all.

Yes, the fault lies entirely with the delivery driver. Still, the scene provided a textbook example of an accident waiting to happen.

 

[maximus otter]

It wasn't difficult at all - given the scene's layout, timing, and the driver's sensory deficit.

Here's a map view that shows the actual paths of the truck and the train.

View attachment 48126​

The driver was pulling out of a back road (parallel to the railroad tracks) onto the primary road that crosses the tracks. The distance between the back road and crossing is so short that by the time he straightened out after the turn he was at / on the crossing.

Prior to his making his turn onto the primary road at the crossing the train was approaching from his left rear at 80 mph. The driver is deaf in his left ear.

Here's a ground level view looking back in the direction from which both the truck and train approached the crossing. Notice how different elevations and surrounding foliage limited / obscured the driver's ability to see the oncoming train in advance (e.g., in his rearview mirror(s)).

Given the greater-than-90-degree turn and the typical delivery driver's bias to maintain constant motion, it only required a 1 to 2 second suspension of situation awareness while making the turn to put him in the 'oh shit!' situation of either trying to stop short or beat the train.

View attachment 48127​

The driver obviously chose the wrong course of action, if (big if) he'd left himself a choice at all.

Yes, the fault lies entirely with the delivery driver. Still, the scene provided a textbook example of an accident waiting to happen.

maximus otter

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

I've read that but the video of the explosion shows the car skidding to a halt and then blowing up, and THEN the driver getting out and running off. At that point there was no fire. So I dunno.

Just watched the video. Looks like the fire started before the main explosion and the driver got out just in time.
Lots of praise for the driver's quick reactions:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-59288929

The dead terrorist is described as being of Middle Eastern appearance, but no further details as yet.

 

[Floyd]

Looks to me like it took about 9 seconds after the explosion for the driver to get out.

 

[escargot]

Looks to me like it took about 9 seconds after the explosion for the driver to get out.

How on earth did he survive an explosion in a car?

Techy heard on t'wireless first thing that it wasn't the entire bomb that went off, just the detonator.

 

[Floyd]

How on earth did he survive an explosion in a car?

Techy heard on t'wireless first thing that it wasn't the entire bomb that went off, just the detonator.

I bet his eardrums aren't in too good of a condition, that's certain.

 

[Trevp666]

flatter than Bonnie Langford's chest

Made me laugh.

 

[escargot]

Some remarkable details emerging about the Liverpool bomb blast yesterday.
The taxi driver - David Perry, was originally instructed to drive to Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral, where a Remembrance Day service was in progress. They became delayed in traffic and the passenger asked Perry to stop at the city's Women's Hospital. Perry noticed the passenger was fiddling with a suspicious attachment to his clothing, so Perry locked the passenger compartment and jumped out, just before the bomb detonated. The terrorist was incinerated and Perry suffered moderate injuries requiring stitches.

https://www.ibtimes.sg/who-david-pe...-car-moments-before-explosion-liverpool-61275

The video shows Perry escaping after the explosion. Perhaps the passenger realised Perry had spotted him, panicked and accidentally set off the bomb instead of being able to walk into the hospital with it.
Or if it was on a timer or remotely controlled, being locked in the cab stopped the passenger getting out in time.

Either way, Mr Perry did a grand job.

Edit - got it now.
Mr Perry was taking a fare to the hospital when he noticed this man adjusting something that looked like a bomb.
He locked the passenger compartment of the taxi and the bomb (or detonator) exploded, and Mr Perry jumped out.

So he acted in time to stop the passenger stepping into the hospital reception area and killing people.

The taxi was a proper black cab model, not a people carrier being used as a minicab. Sturdy as a tank.

Reminds me of the Volkswagen Polo advert where the suicide bomber's vehicle fully contains the blast -

 

[Swifty]

Some remarkable details emerging about the Liverpool bomb blast yesterday.
The taxi driver - David Perry, was originally instructed to drive to Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral, where a Remembrance Day service was in progress. They became delayed in traffic and the passenger asked Perry to stop at the city's Women's Hospital. Perry noticed the passenger was fiddling with a suspicious attachment to his clothing, so Perry locked the passenger compartment and jumped out, just before the bomb detonated. The terrorist was incinerated and Perry suffered moderate injuries requiring stitches.

https://www.ibtimes.sg/who-david-pe...-car-moments-before-explosion-liverpool-61275

I can imagine this conversation happening in some house in about 15 years time:

teen: " .. and I WISH I'D NEVER BEEN BORN!!"
Mum: "You nearly weren't"
teen: "What?"
Mum: "A terrorist tried to blow you up before you'd been born. Tidy your bedroom."

 

[IamSundog]

I got caught in an undertow once about 20 years ago. My sister and I were swimming in the ocean in New Jersey at a crowded beach, and there were 4 or 5 young men in our immediate vicinity. The waves were moderate and we were out at a depth where we could touch the bottom when the waves were at a low ebb. It was pleasant and relaxing to bob up and down. Then I realized I couldn’t touch the bottom any more, and started to swim toward the beach. But I could make no progress, and then I could actually feel the current pulling us all strongly out to sea. I and the young men started to exclaim and shout in alarm. This went on for less than a minute, when to my amazement and great relief several lifeguards on jet skis showed up, tossed us ropes, and pulled us into shallow water. They must have been watching vigilantly for rip tides to form and been ready to jump into action, although there were no signs on the beach warning of rip tides. The whole thing was over in a minute but it was very scary and put me off ever going into the ocean past my waist ever again. My sister remained completely unfazed through the whole thing.

 

[IamSundog]

I’m somewhat bewildered - my two posts above were posted in “People Willingly Entering the Water and Drowning”. Weird.

 

[IbisNibs]

It wasn't difficult at all - given the scene's layout, timing, and the driver's sensory deficit.

Here's a map view that shows the actual paths of the truck and the train.

View attachment 48126​

The driver was pulling out of a back road (parallel to the railroad tracks) onto the primary road that crosses the tracks. The distance between the back road and crossing is so short that by the time he straightened out after the turn he was at / on the crossing.

Prior to his making his turn onto the primary road at the crossing the train was approaching from his left rear at 80 mph. The driver is deaf in his left ear.

Here's a ground level view looking back in the direction from which both the truck and train approached the crossing. Notice how different elevations and surrounding foliage limited / obscured the driver's ability to see the oncoming train in advance (e.g., in his rearview mirror(s)).

Given the greater-than-90-degree turn and the typical delivery driver's bias to maintain constant motion, it only required a 1 to 2 second suspension of situation awareness while making the turn to put him in the 'oh shit!' situation of either trying to stop short or beat the train.

View attachment 48127​

The driver obviously chose the wrong course of action, if (big if) he'd left himself a choice at all.

Yes, the fault lies entirely with the delivery driver. Still, the scene provided a textbook example of an accident waiting to happen.

This is a perfect example of why you should come to a COMPLETE STOP at a stop sign.
I'm glad the guy is all right tho'!

 

[EnolaGaia]

I’m somewhat bewildered - my two posts above were posted in “People Willingly Entering the Water and Drowning”. Weird.

The rip tide post was moved here to Lucky Escapes (where there are other rip tide incidents posted). The post described a dangerous potential accident that was avoided.

It originally appeared in the thread dedicated to people proactively entering the water to drown. The post didn't fit that thread's theme of people who seem to deliberately / mysteriously drown themselves.

The post concerning your daughter's compulsion to jump at a cliff-top has been moved to this new thread about such compulsive feelings (which had been scattered throughout the forum for years):

Call Of The Void ( L’Appel Du Vide; High Place Phenomenon)
https://forums.forteana.org/index.p...-l’appel-du-vide-high-place-phenomenon.68973/

 

[IamSundog]

The rip tide post was moved here to Lucky Escapes (where there are other rip tide incidents posted). The post described a dangerous potential accident that was avoided.

It originally appeared in the thread dedicated to people proactively entering the water to drown. The post didn't fit that thread's theme of people who seem to deliberately / mysteriously drown themselves.

The post concerning your daughter's compulsion to jump at a cliff-top has been moved to this new thread about such compulsive feelings (which had been scattered throughout the forum for years):

Call Of The Void ( L’Appel Du Vide; High Place Phenomenon)
https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/call-of-the-void-l’appel-du-vide-high-place-phenomenon.68973/

OK thanks I guess that makes sense.

 

[escargot]

This is a perfect example of why you should come to a COMPLETE STOP at a stop sign.
I'm glad the guy is all right tho'!

You are so right. I both drive and cycle and will always stop dead at junctions to look hard in every direction.
I don't care if I hold up other road users or if I appear hesitant.

Better to be late in this world than early in the next, and so on.

 

[escargot]

The rip tide post was moved here to Lucky Escapes (where there are other rip tide incidents posted). The post described a dangerous potential accident that was avoided.

It originally appeared in the thread dedicated to people proactively entering the water to drown. The post didn't fit that thread's theme of people who seem to deliberately / mysteriously drown themselves.

The post concerning your daughter's compulsion to jump at a cliff-top has been moved to this new thread about such compulsive feelings (which had been scattered throughout the forum for years):

Call Of The Void ( L’Appel Du Vide; High Place Phenomenon)
https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/call-of-the-void-l’appel-du-vide-high-place-phenomenon.68973/

Link doesn't work.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Link doesn't work.

That's the correct link. If you copy the link as I quoted it and enter it into a browser it should take you to the thread.

If it doesn't, please report it back here.

The only thing I see not working is the textual link being portrayed as a hot link. I'm not sure why that's happening, unless the forum database is delayed in accreting the new thread to the forum database index.

 

[Floyd]

It wasn't difficult at all - given the scene's layout, timing, and the driver's sensory deficit.

Here's a map view that shows the actual paths of the truck and the train.

View attachment 48126​

The driver was pulling out of a back road (parallel to the railroad tracks) onto the primary road that crosses the tracks. The distance between the back road and crossing is so short that by the time he straightened out after the turn he was at / on the crossing.

Prior to his making his turn onto the primary road at the crossing the train was approaching from his left rear at 80 mph. The driver is deaf in his left ear.

Here's a ground level view looking back in the direction from which both the truck and train approached the crossing. Notice how different elevations and surrounding foliage limited / obscured the driver's ability to see the oncoming train in advance (e.g., in his rearview mirror(s)).

Given the greater-than-90-degree turn and the typical delivery driver's bias to maintain constant motion, it only required a 1 to 2 second suspension of situation awareness while making the turn to put him in the 'oh shit!' situation of either trying to stop short or beat the train.

View attachment 48127​

The driver obviously chose the wrong course of action, if (big if) he'd left himself a choice at all.

Yes, the fault lies entirely with the delivery driver. Still, the scene provided a textbook example of an accident waiting to happen.

Being a left-hand drive vehicle, I'd have thought that even being deaf in his left ear, he would have still seen movement coming from the left. I suppose all it takes is a quick glance at say, some paperwork on the passenger seat at that exact time to have made him miss that though.

 

[Kondoru]

No barrier and few lights.

Just a stop sign...and pretty much the drivers decision as to safe.

Are all Crossings like this in the US?

 

[Giant R]

When I was 17 or 18 I got quite keen on angling and one autumn day I went fishing with a friend down at the local canal. It was very windy and I found the float kept drifting quite quickly, causing me to have to keep re-casting. I wasn't a very experienced angler but decided the best thing to do was to use the heaviest float I had. I found one about 6" long and quite heavy which I thought would do the trick.

I tied it on and cast out but hadn't calculated that the same force would send it further and the line went straight across the canal and into some bushes. I gave the line several heaves but it was pretty stuck so I thought I would cut my losses and snap the line. I gave an almighty heave and this pulled the float free, which came back across the canal like an exocet missile and hit me end on about half an inch under my eye. To add insult to injury, the surprise caused me to reel back and fall down the bank behind me, much to my friends amusement I had double vision in the eye for a day or so and a black eye too but it could have been a lot messier if it had been another half inch higher

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

No barrier and few lights.

Just a stop sign...and pretty much the drivers decision as to safe.

Are all Crossings like this in the US?

No, but many are; found in the country and some suburban crossings. It also depends on the state and local governmental rules, which vary widely. EnolaGaia has done a great job showing how all the different aspects of this crossing make it so dangerous.

ps - yes Kondoru, the US is the wild west.

 

[Kondoru]

Yes, there was a fatal accident on our local crossing a few years back; But someone decided to bypass the barrier.

Even on footpath crossings these days they have a stop/go light.

I remember one footpath; just outside Port Talbot Steelworks, so not one line, but many, -which may or may not be used much...and often the train you see may be changing tracks...

But this is exceptional.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Here (IMHO) is the winning Xmas season miracle for 2021 ...

Two hikers slipped and slid downslope from an icy California mountain trail. One was badly injured. Both had lost their cellphones in the fall, so they couldn't call 911. As the more injured hiker tried to move to a safer spot, the stick he was using as an aid struck something - a workable cellphone lost by another hiker who'd fallen off the same trail and had to be rescued 3 days earlier.

The hikers had no way to call 911. Until they found another hiker's cellphone

After Matthew Jaurequi lost his footing on an icy trail and began to slide, his friend tried to grab him.

Both hikers coasted about 150 feet down from Icehouse Saddle near Mount Baldy on Tuesday, losing their cellphones during the precipitous descent, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Jaurequi slammed into a tree and was badly injured.

They had no way to call for help. Then, as Jaurequi was moving to a safer spot, he jabbed at the snow with a stick and hit something — a cellphone.

It had 1% battery — enough to dial 911.

The phone, it turned out, had been there for three days, after another hiker lost it in a similar tumble.

"Hitting that spot is like one in a billion," said Jaurequi's friend, Dusan Ancich. "On a whole mountain — a frozen phone on the middle of the hill."

Jaurequi, 38, was the fourth hiker rescued from the area in a week, said Doug Brimmer, a deputy pilot with the sheriff's department. ...

FULL STORY: https://www.yahoo.com/now/hikers-had-no-way-call-130050408.html

 

[escargot]

Here (IMHO) is the winning Xmas season miracle for 2021 ...

Two hikers slipped and slid downslope from an icy California mountain trail. One was badly injured. Both had lost their cellphones in the fall, so they couldn't call 911. As the more injured hiker tried to move to a safer spot, the stick he was using as an aid struck something - a workable cellphone lost by another hiker who'd fallen off the same trail and had to be rescued 3 days earlier.

FULL STORY: https://www.yahoo.com/now/hikers-had-no-way-call-130050408.html

I'm betting that wasn't an iPhone.

I did love my iPhones but the feeble batteries let them down.

 

[Trevp666]

My 5 year old Samsung Galaxy A5 still stays charged for about 3 or 4 days. Not too shabby.