Maplewood girl hit by train

I’m surprised no one is talking about this on MOL. 14 year old walking on the track just west of the village. 

When did it happen? Any media coverage?

How horrible. She was killed.

https://patch.com/new-jersey/maplewood/maplewood-girl-14-struck-killed-train-reports

mrincredible said:

How horrible. She was killed.

https://patch.com/new-jersey/maplewood/maplewood-girl-14-struck-killed-train-reports

 One of my kids thinks he knows her. I won’t post her name, because her friends were talking to her when she was by the train station, and her phone just went silent. Severely depressed. It’s horrible. Heartbreaking 

Jaytee said:

 Severely depressed. 

 Who? The girl who died?

mrincredible said:

 Who? The girl who died?

 Yes. 

Not the first time a teenage kid was killed that way in Maplewood.

So sad.

STANV said:

Not the first time a teenage kid was killed that way in Maplewood.

So sad.

 Stan, I remember about 10 years ago a woman just walked right onto the tracks just by Baker Street. 7:30 in the morning after having an argument with her husband. I just can’t fathom how bad things have to be for someone to walk in front of the train. I don’t know man, it is very disturbing. So young.

It is so sad.  My deepest sympathies to her friends and family.  

I cannot imagine how traumatized the train crew must be.  What a terrible thing to witness.

Very sad, I heard from my daughter that it was suicide. I was picking her Up from the middle school right at the time, fire trucks and police were Already there. awful

Over the last few decades, perhaps as many as nine children have died in M/SO on the train tracks. 

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/31/archives/2-inquiries-open-on-deaths-of-3-boys-hit-by-a-train.html

Let's not start deciding what this was.  That's not fair to her or her family.  Stick to facts.

The fact is that kids have been walking the tracks at that location for years.  There have incidents in the past where kids have been hit by a train and killed.  The last time multiple kids were killed by an oncoming train, there was a big move to educate the kids on the danger of this practice, put up more fencing to make access to the tracks harder, etc.  Now we have a new generation that needs to understand the danger.  What gets me about the press coverage I have read is that the train that hit the child was not carrying passengers. I doubt that train appeared on the train schedule. We know that trains on the schedule can be delayed or travel on a different track than usual.  Relying on the train schedule to learn when it is safe to walk the tracks won't keep you safe.  There is no time when walking the tracks is safe.

joan_crystal said:

The fact is that kids have been walking the tracks at that location for years.  There have incidents in the past where kids have been hit by a train and killed.  The last time multiple kids were killed by an oncoming train, there was a big move to educate the kids on the danger of this practice, put up more fencing to make access to the tracks harder, etc.  Now we have a new generation that needs to understand the danger.  What gets me about the press coverage I have read is that the train that hit the child was not carrying passengers. I doubt that train appeared on the train schedule. We know that trains on the schedule can be delayed or travel on a different track than usual.  Relying on the train schedule to learn when it is safe to walk the tracks won't keep you safe.  There is no time when walking the tracks is safe.

 I remember those days very well, Joan. The “short cut” CHS students used to and from school, behind the supermarket on Valley, was one access point. The use of fencing is only as good as the maintenance required to make certain the fence has not been vandalized along the tracks. The idea was rejected by transportation authorities as untenable.

mtierney said:

Over the last few decades, perhaps as many as nine children have died in M/SO on the train tracks. 

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/31/archives/2-inquiries-open-on-deaths-of-3-boys-hit-by-a-train.html

Many years ago, Just-the-aunt wrote a vivid, chilling account of this tragedy that I still remember well.  Unfortunately, someone told her it was "too personal" or some other unnecessary criticism, and she took it down shortly after posting. I have always been glad that I had a chance to read it while it was posted. It made the tragedy real to me in a way no newspaper account ever could. And so, so sad. 

Jaytee said:

 One of my kids thinks he knows her. I won’t post her name, because her friends were talking to her when she was by the train station, and her phone just went silent. Severely depressed. It’s horrible. Heartbreaking 

 I heard the same. Very sad that she felt she had no other options

Tall_Mocha said:

Very sad, I heard from my daughter that it was suicide. I was picking her Up from the middle school right at the time, fire trucks and police were Already there. awful

It was. Severely traumatic for myself and her other friends, I was quite close with her. 

Not a suicide but an ancient teen train track tragedy from around here. 

Some will recall a poster, years ago, suggesting for fun to check the 1940 census to see who lived in your house in the past.  I did and started digging into it.  I discovered that the first family who lived here had twin girls. One night, one of them and some other teens were driving to a hockey game, tried to cross the tracks, and were killed.  Like a creepy real life Teen Angel story.

I also surmised that a lot of the really old books on our book shelves were probably theirs like a 1930 encyclopedia Brittanica set. 

JayM said:

It was. Severely traumatic for myself and her other friends, I was quite close with her. 

 Wow, condolences to you and her family. If only she knew she had so much life ahead of her 

joan_crystal said:

The fact is that kids have been walking the tracks at that location for years.  There have incidents in the past where kids have been hit by a train and killed.  The last time multiple kids were killed by an oncoming train, there was a big move to educate the kids on the danger of this practice, put up more fencing to make access to the tracks harder, etc.  Now we have a new generation that needs to understand the danger.  What gets me about the press coverage I have read is that the train that hit the child was not carrying passengers. I doubt that train appeared on the train schedule. We know that trains on the schedule can be delayed or travel on a different track than usual.  Relying on the train schedule to learn when it is safe to walk the tracks won't keep you safe.  There is no time when walking the tracks is safe.

That was Jan 11, 1984.  I was in third grade at Jefferson School.  There was a huge push to educate students and a contest to create a “Stay off the Tracks” poster.  The winner was similar to the image representing Men that you see on a bathroom door with a red “Do Not Enter” style circle around it where the slash was train tracks.  This image was painted as a mural at one end of the tunnel under Maplewood Station for most of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s before being slowly covered up over time.