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<DIV>In a message dated 10/15/2004 12:42:49 PM Eastern Standard Time, dave@the-wild.net writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT face=Arial>Maybe I'm the insensitive one, but even at 14 I had a good understanding of<BR>train crossings and what it meant that the lights were flashing, the gates were<BR>down and the bells were ringing... DON'T GO! DON'T GO AROUND THE GATE! THERE'S<BR>A TRAIN COMING... and there isn't much out there that wins when put up against<BR>a fast moving train. What was the kid doing going around the gates? </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV>they didn't explain much of the circumstances around the accident; a friend of mine was killed as he was jogging around crossing barriers because he thought the gates were down for a stopped commuter train; as he rounded the stopped train, I am hoping he never saw the freight coming down the center track at 70 miles an hour. so, accidents like these are conceivable. Also, 14 yr olds are invincible. and when I was 10, I used to ride down curvy hilly roads with no hands and eyes closed to see if i could "feel" the road until a concussion crimped my head and my enthusiasm for that kind of science. we're probably all luckier than we think to be alive and still biking...I feel sorriest for the mom who had to learn what happened to her kid</DIV></BODY></HTML>