Retired Firefighter goes missing on Amtrak Train

[amtrakwolverine]

The current doors at least on superliners have 2 locks. One on top of the door and another in the middle. You have to want to open the door to get out it won't just open all by itself unless you got a lazy crew that didn't shut it right to begin with plus the door opens inwards.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

Ive seen videos of Amtrak trains on Youtube with doors open as the train is rolling down the track. So yeah, lazy/forgetful crew members could be an issue.

In fact, before I left for my trip, I was watching Crescent vids and saw one sleeper door wide open with the train rolling down the track.

 

[Blackwolf]

Still saying... Easy, quick and foolproof electromagnetic locks are the answer. No being trapped involved; pull the emergency level and they unlock. Heck, the HEP is lost and they unlock. Cleapest fix, and the quickest to install. No fundamental changes needed to the cars.

I personally know people who have worked with Mr. Dowd. This being said, it is not really Amtrak's absolute fault that this happened. That being said, changes can be made. And without tremendous expense.

 

[winterskigirl]

Is it really that easy for an elderly man to open a side door and fall out? That is scary.

 

[MattW]

Before we all go reinventing the wheel, how do the (trainlined?) doors on the Calirofnia cars work? Could retrofitting them onto the existing Superliner fleet provide a solution? I'm assuming running a trainline wouldn't be cost-effective, but what about electronic local door control?

 

[trainfan969]

Before we all go reinventing the wheel, how do the (trainlined?) doors on the Calirofnia cars work? Could retrofitting them onto the existing Superliner fleet provide a solution? I'm assuming running a trainline wouldn't be cost-effective, but what about electronic local door control?

For the Surfliner cars, there is a control panel in each car that controls the doors for that particular car or all the cars. The doors are 2 piece and they operate much like elevator doors. I'm sure there is also an interlock to keep the train from moving unless all doors are properly closed.

 

[Bruce-C]

For those of you who are interested in the original topic.

Mr. Doud's body was found Friday in Haigler, Neb.

 

[Allypet]

For those of you who are interested in the original topic.

Mr. Doud's body was found Friday in Haigler, Neb.

I'm so sorry. Did he fall from the train, or just wandered off and got lost?

 

[Bruce-C]

A CNN report states that a door was found ajar on the train. And another report states that his body was discovered by railroad police, so that points to his body being near the tracks.

 

[SarahZ]

My mother is diabetic, and if she forgets to take her insulin, she becomes extremely disoriented. We'll be in the middle of a perfectly normal conversation, and then suddenly she'll start to slur her words a bit and start saying things that don't make sense. That's when I ask her to put Dad on the phone and ask him if she took her insulin. Sometimes, even in the midst of her confusion, she'll still be a bit lucid and can snap back to reality at any moment.

It's completely understandable how he may have thought he was in his apartment, especially since he stated he forgot to take his medicine. It's also easy to understand how he may have appeared just fine a moment later. That's so sad.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

My husband was diabetic also and we had moments like that. I always carried the sugar tablets with me just in case.

 

[Notelvis]

Is it really that easy for an elderly man to open a side door and fall out? That is scary.

In this case, I would suggest that Mr. Dowd, a retired career fire fighter, was probably better equipped than most average citizens in figuring out how to get a door open. Even in a disoriented state this was a man with a lifetime's experience in getting doors opened....... a combination of training and instinct I would guess.

 

[user 1215]

Is it really that easy for an elderly man to open a side door and fall out? That is scary.

In this case, I would suggest that Mr. Dowd, a retired career fire fighter, was probably better equipped than most average citizens in figuring out how to get a door open. Even in a disoriented state this was a man with a lifetime's experience in getting doors opened....... a combination of training and instinct I would guess.

Let's not forget - this has also been recently accomplished by a teen on the EB and an elderly woman on the Autotrain near Jesup, GA.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Is it really that easy for an elderly man to open a side door and fall out? That is scary.

In this case, I would suggest that Mr. Dowd, a retired career fire fighter, was probably better equipped than most average citizens in figuring out how to get a door open. Even in a disoriented state this was a man with a lifetime's experience in getting doors opened....... a combination of training and instinct I would guess.

Let's not forget - this has also been recently accomplished by a teen on the EB and an elderly woman on the Autotrain near Jesup, GA.

Yeah, opening the door isn't that difficult.

 

[Agent]

Someone made their own report about opening Superliner doors and submitted it to CNN.

"Amtrak Deaths"

Notice that the "reporter" believes that the solution to this is alarms on the doors (cheap alarms easily removed). Alarms won't stop the people who want to jump out, and who's to say a confused person will close the door?

 

[cirdan]

Regardless of what precisely happened (and I hope there will be a full investigation into that), our thoughts should be with the family and friends of the man who lost his life.

 

[Acela150]

Godspeed Brother..

 

[alanh]

Unfortunately, designing a lock that will still allow emergency egress is pretty complex, particularly in the hostile environment of a train. The constant vibration plus the wide range of temperatures makes designing anything with moving parts a big challenge. It also needs to function after a crash.

An alarm wouldn't be that complex, but would only let you know where to look for the body unfortunately.

 

[CHamilton]

Unlocked Amtrak doors linked to series of deaths http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/102112Amtrak-readyhh#.UIYpzFx5mSN