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Darwin Awards
2009 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

They love trains too much

2009 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

A man and his son who were train spotting in Fullerton on Wednesday night were struck by a freight train and killed.

At about 11:15 p.m., a freight train was traveling near the train depot at North Harbor Blvd and West Santa Fe Avenue when the conductor saw two men near the tracks, said Lena Kent, spokeswoman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.

The conductor sounded a horn in an attempt to warn the men and tried to stop the 7,200-foot train, Kent said. The train was unable to stop, she said, and the two men were struck. A freight train of that size traveling at 55 miles per hour takes, on average, one mile to stop, she said.

Fullerton police responded and found two men on the railroad tracks.

The men were identified as Virgil Lamphier, 56, and his son, David, 23, of Fullerton.

“It looks like they were a couple of guys who liked to go down to see the trains once a week,” said Sgt. Mike MacDonald of the Fullerton Police Department.

The father had sent a text to his wife, saying the two would be on their way home at around 11 p.m., MacDonald said. He said the train station is a popular place for rail buffs to come and watch the trains at night.

FULLERTON – Authorities have identified the two men who were killed by a freight train Wednesday night as a father and son.

Virgil Lamphier, 56, and his son, David, 23, both of Fullerton, were train enthusiasts who were frequent visitors to the train tracks, said Fullerton police Sgt. Mike MacDonald.

“We think they were train spotters and watchers,” he said.

The accident was reported around 11:18 p.m. by an engineer on a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train who said there had been a possible accident involving two pedestrians, police said. “The conductor saw two men near the tracks and sounded his horn to warn them, but it was too late,” MacDonald said.

Officers searched the tracks between the train station at 100 W. Santa Fe Ave. and Balcom Avenue. The bodies of the father and son were discovered about 30 minutes later east of the train station near Balcom and Commonwealth avenues, Fullerton police Lt. Craig Brower said. The bodies of the father and son were found off the tracks, MacDonald said.

The train was traveling eastbound at 50 mph and came to a stop at Raymond Avenue and Valencia Drive, MacDonald said. The train was more than 7,200 feet long and weighed more than 5,900 tons, he said.

MacDonald said the father and son were walking home, which is about a mile from the tracks. “Virgil sent a text message to his wife saying they would be home in a little bit,” MacDonald said.

The incident is being investigated as an accident.

Submitted on 11/05/2009

Submitted by: Walter
Reference: LA Times/OC Register, 11/5/09

Copyright © 2009 DarwinAwards.com

>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
Thanks, but train/pedestrian collisions are simply way too common. There are thousands every year in the US alone.


Candi said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
What Bruce said.


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