Students need to watch for trains

A man was hit by a train Saturday in Bowling Green, according to a Web exclusive story on bgnews.com.

In West Virginia, a 34-year-old man was killed by a train on Sunday (The State Journal).

The same day a young man in Toronto was rushed to hospital with sever injuries after being side-swiped by a train (CTV Toronto).

On Sept. 10, a 13-year-old boy was killed by a train in Fostoria (The Advertiser-Tribune).

A Walton, KY boy was hospitalized on Sept. 2 with train-related injuries (The Cincinnati Post).

What do all these stories have in common? None of the above victims were in a vehicle.

They were all struck by trains while walking or lying on the tracks.

The BG News would like to remind students to be careful when in the vicinity of railroad tracks.

It seems redundant to say, but trains are bigger than us. If a train hits a person, the train will win. Every time.

It’s sad to see in the past month, this country has experienced a half dozen (and many more which were not mentioned) injuries or deaths from train v. person accidents.

A main railroad runs right through the middle of Bowling Green. We all know it’s there. We hear the train whistles going off while we’re sitting in class ( especially in West Hall).

We shouldn’t have to tell students to be extra cautious when crossing these tracks. There are lights and signs at all the intersections. Plus, trains are loud. You hear them coming.

An extra note of caution goes to those off campus students who park in the commuter lot 4, across the tracks on the west end of campus.

Watching students going from their cars to the campus is like watching ants scatter.

Despite a large sign asking all students to cross the tracks at the railroad crossing, few do. Most just make a beeline to class, crossing wherever they want.

The BG News would just like to encourage more caution among residents and students.

Trains do cross these tracks. And if they hit you, it’s not their fault. It’s yours.