A train driver is in a critical condition after he was struck by a large piece of masonry which smashed through his cab window.
The driver, 56, suffered serious head and face injuries after being struck as he drove a freight train through Worcestershire on Sunday morning.
He was taken to the Royal Worcester Hospital where he remains.
Transport police said they are treating the incident as suspicious although they are not ruling anything out.
The train was travelling between Llanwern and Brierley Hill when the masonry crashed through the windscreen in Kidderminster.
Chf Insp Allan Gregory of British Transport Police said: "The train travelled underneath three bridges - Chester Road North, Offmore Lane and Comberton Hill (A448), before it came to a standstill.
"We are appealing to the public to come forward if they saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area.
"This is a serious incident that has left a train driver badly injured. At this stage we are not ruling out anything."
There are worries that the driver may not recover.
What drives someone to do this to a fellow human being? BBC article
This is not a new phenomenon either. I remember several incidents in the news at home about idiots dropping things on trains and cars. It’s hard to prevent against incidents like these without raising transport costs to an unfeasible level. Just shows you how stupid some people are and how little regard they have for other peoples lives.
This is terrible and I hope if this was delibrate that the catch the
that did this.
I remember a few years ago when a colleage and myself were attacked by stone throwers whilst carrying out point maintenance. We were lucky that we could get out of range and call the BTP before we were injured - poor drivers don't stand a chance as they can't escape the range of fire.
Little chance of so much damage if it had been a casle or a king pulling the train.
Not much of a reason to bring back steam, I know, but any reason will do in my book.
I recollect there were instances of things been thrown at steam engines, including attempts to 'drop something down the funnel' which missed and bounced along the boiler and then hit a cab spectacle or side window. And the more open footplate could also make a more tempting target. In the latter case, however there was some defence - one book I've read recently recounts how the author saw in his schooldays a 'friend' throw something at a footplate and who was promptly soused by the fireman who happened to be washing the footplate down at the time with the 'slacker' pipe.
Gilbert and Sullivan's aim 'to make the punishment fit the crime' seems particularly appropriate for this sort of idiocy. I wonder if the railways could devise a rig in which the guilty party (if caught) could be sat and experience what it's like to have a heavy object hit a window in front of them at speed?
Regards,
John Webb
what will they get? 18 months suspended and an ASBO? You will get all the liberal softies coming out saying they are kids and you can't do this and you can't do that. The parents of any yobs caught harming any other citizen should have their home seized no matter what its value. Full stop. Its the only way to encourage parents into taking responsibility for the actions of their offspring.
Kidderminster, eh? Given the Severn Valley Railway's ongoing problems with stone throwers and air rifle artists I can't say I'm surprised.
In the age of steam little oiks would pelt locos in the hope that the crew would retaliate with lumps of coal - these were then collected for domestic use!
There is absolutely no excuse for this sort of behaviour, and in this case if the miscreants are caught and are old enough to prosecute they could end up with a fairly heavy prison sentence - Let's hope so.
I'm with Gary on this one.
No manners, no respect and no punishment seems to be the norm now.
In school the cane taught me to have respect for the teachers (I didn't go back for a second dose!)
As an eighteen year old a clip around the ear from the local Bobby taught me not to wander the streets at night in a drunk and disorderly fashion.
As a parent a gentle tap on the leg taught my offspring how far to push me.
God help us all in ten years time if things continue to go as they are now.
If the culprits are caught for this train incident, they should be give a sharp, short shock of a physical nature and be warned of the possibility of double the dose at the next sign of trouble.
All the politically correct do-gooders out there can kiss my a
QUOTE (60134 @ 22 Dec 2006, 11:27) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The case was featured on the news last night - the drivers face is a real mess and he's going to need some re-constructive surgery, poor sod.
Bring back the birch, I say!
60134
Maybe, there is now a case to fit some sort of protective grille to the front windscreens, similar to the grilles fitted to Scandinavian locos to protect the crews from ice falls.
I get so
annoyed when I here about this sort of thing happening. In my book it goes in the same pigeon hole as child/animal cruelty & - no I'll shut up now !
QUOTE (60134 @ 22 Dec 2006, 11:27) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The case was featured on the news last night - the drivers face is a real mess and he's going to need some re-constructive surgery, poor sod.
Bring back the birch, I say!
60134
It may seem wicked to think this way, but use the birch on THEIR faces and see how they
Is it an urban myth or was there a time in the late 60's when 'drive from the front' diesels became common that objects were hung from bridges etc at cab height???
QUOTE (chubber @ 22 Dec 2006, 15:05) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>when 'drive from the front' diesels became common that objects were hung from bridges etc at cab height???
Probably not a myth. We still have morons about who think it's amusing to prop up and brace lengths of rail so they pierce the cab. Sometimes words fail me.
I'm sorry to say that in my time as a Driver, I've had this happen to me a few times, especially on the North side of Glasgow between Springburn and Queen Street. Bricks and the usual. Although I've had cookers, fridges and washing machines all dropped on the Loco. I've been driving. Even a Double-Divan bed.
I was lucky that nothing untoward ever happened to me, unlike this poor Driver. Bring back flogging.
QUOTE I'm sorry to say that in my time as a Driver, I've had this happen to me a few times, especially on the North side of Glasgow between Springburn and Queen Street. Bricks and the usual. I know exactly where you mean. There should be some form of protection in these areas.
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