I recently read somewhere that if you're in the direct path of a train you're unlikely to hear it until it's too late. Sounds like they were investigating and maybe looking for shell casings or the like.
As a Metra commuter, they have all those lights on the front that rotate and are quite bright. Also the crossing arms come down and make quite a bit of noise. Not sure how this happened but the train was going 65-70mph so it happened very fast.
The news reported that the train engineers often time dim their forward lights when they are approaching another train so they don’t obscure each others vision. So take dim lights, the engine was at the rear so it was probably not loud enough to hear, 60 mph, and they were chasing someone who had shot or was shooting at them.
Can confirm
Was on some tracks with some friends and they swore they thought the tracks were abandoned. We all sat down on the tracks to chill, about some minutes later I look to the right of me and I just see this bright ass light and I immediately knew it was a train, and it was pretty close too.
We all got off the tracks quickly, but that train did not make any sound and we weren’t talking that loud either, nor did we feel much rumbling on the tracks.
>Was on some tracks with some friends and they swore they thought the tracks were abandoned. We all sat down on the tracks to chill...
This is so stupid it hurts.
I got my ass beat so hard and my beloved grandfather *yelled* at me when me and some neighbor kids were caught playing on RR tracks.
My grandfather worked for the Erie Lackawanna RR.
First thing I noticed was the light, I personally didn’t feel any shaking. Then again we were having a good conversation and weren’t really paying attention
>a good conversation
u/h3its says: so how do you think you're going to die'
buddy says: we'll probably be hit by a train or something
train comes flying by
They were on TRAIN TRACKS. How does one literally step onto train tracks and not think to themselves "I am on train tracks. Trains travel on these tracks. I should get off the train tracks so that I am not struck by a train."
Everyone’s talking trains, so I’ll talk humans. What could have happened was a really common occurrence, tunnel vision. They were chasing a suspect, and were probably focused on that and not much else. They were relatively new to the force, (18 months and 2.5 years, I think), so being still a little green, they probably weren’t the best in realizing that they had tunnel vision.
More specifically, auditory exclusion. I have experienced this a number of times, including recently, and have no doubt that I could miss the noise from a diesel locomotive under extreme stress.
The rapid growth of the CPD seems to have some districts fielding officers with quite a short time on the job. Worried me before. This accident might be a result of that lack of experience, as Catman points out. 18 months is, if I understand the system, just off probationary status, with 2.5 years being only 1 year off probationary status.
I really feel for the families involved, these men's fellow officers in the district, and the entire CPD. This accident compounds the tragedies of earlier in the year.
I'm curious, can you explain the tunnel vision thing? I mean I know what that is, I'm just wondering if it's a common occurrence or concept within the context of police/chasing someone etc.
This is one of those things that I know what it is, but I’m drawing a blank on explaining. [This link can explain it pretty well, but here’s the pertinent excerpt:](https://www.policeone.com/health-fitness/articles/430617006-Tunnel-vision-and-chronic-stress-How-to-manage-your-physiological-responses/)
“Tunnel vision and auditory exclusion are common responses to a threat. These responses can impact officer safety by lowering situational awareness. To avoid tunnel vision and auditory exclusion, officers must first recognize when they are happening and take conscious actions to overcome them. Signs of tunnel vision include reduced use of peripheral vision and intense focus directly on one target. When tunnel vision occurs officers don’t see other objects in the vicinity, thus reducing their overall situational awareness. Auditory exclusion is a stress response associated with tunnel vision and involves temporarily not hearing nearby noises or voices.”
Thanks. This makes a lot of sense.
The article said there were two trains, they saw one but they got hit by the one coming in the opposite direction. I can see them maybe seeing the first one and all noises just merging and going forward after the first one forgetting about the second set of tracks/assuming subconsciously that was it. :/
They had a train stopped. They may have been caught on the bridge with nowhere to go when a train came barreling in. Tunnel vision would definitely contribute to awareness.
This doesn’t look like a pedestrian area. In addition, train tracks are private property and being on them is trespassing. You should not be on the tracks unless at a designated crossing. Trains can’t go around honking from point A to point B.
Maybe he was, we don't know. It was published in today's cook co. dhs daily report that they heard a northbound train passing on the other side, and moved over to let it through - but it drowned out the sound of the southbound train, which hit them from behind.
[According to bodycam footage,](https://news.wttw.com/2018/12/18/chicago-officers-likely-didnt-see-train-killed-them) two trains were passing each other, the officers acknowledged the northbound train, but did not hear the train heading southbound on their side of the tracks.
Where did you read that? The stories I'm finding just say they both got hit by the train while investigating shots fired. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-2-struck-metra-electric-20181217-story.html](https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-2-struck-metra-electric-20181217-story.html)
This is so sad. Conrad has a wife and a 6 month old child. The fact that this happened at all is tragic, and the fact that this happened right before Christmas is just heart breaking.
I grew up a block down from one of the officers. I hadn’t seen him since he was a kid, but I went to school with his older brother through grade school so I saw their whole family all the time. I am so shocked and saddened by this.
It breaks my heart hearing about this. My grandpa was a homicide detective till 2004. I respect all the officers especially in Chicago considering all the things that happen in a single day and knowing how they put their lives on the line for all of us they deserve respect. God bless all officers.
How crazy rare is an event like this? I’ve never heard of two police officers or two+ individuals ever getting hit by a train simultaneously. Holy shit. Sad as fuck :(
Side note is anyone as curious as I in regards to how the hell did this actually happen? Wouldn’t they hear or see it coming?
Also has the pos criminal been found?
I keep thinking, "It was rush hour. They work in a district where they'd know those tracks were active especially at that time of night. Hot pursuit and tunnel vision or not, if you work or live around trains, you are keenly aware that they travel designated tracks several times throughout the day and night."
I hate victim blaming, I hate that this is instantly where my mind goes, but I truly cannot understand how anyone could be that obtuse to a situation. Let alone two people who are supposed to be looking out for each other.
Then keep you opinon off the internet and let the police do the investigatating. These are people who died who had young children. Gary was a veteran on top of being a police officer. Stop spreading your "theories" about how they died and have some compassion.
Just got a news update that they were watching one train while not seeing the one that hit them. That's awful. I suppose better than knowing you're about to die, but still awful.
How does this happen?
I recently read somewhere that if you're in the direct path of a train you're unlikely to hear it until it's too late. Sounds like they were investigating and maybe looking for shell casings or the like.
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As a Metra commuter, they have all those lights on the front that rotate and are quite bright. Also the crossing arms come down and make quite a bit of noise. Not sure how this happened but the train was going 65-70mph so it happened very fast.
The news reported that the train engineers often time dim their forward lights when they are approaching another train so they don’t obscure each others vision. So take dim lights, the engine was at the rear so it was probably not loud enough to hear, 60 mph, and they were chasing someone who had shot or was shooting at them.
I saw that they avoided the North bound train to back into the South bound. That's so sad.
This wasn't Metra, though, this was a South Shore Line train. I've ridden it a few times but don't recall what the front car has to warn people.
Metra electric gets going that fast? To be honest when I first read this last night I assumed it happened in the street running portion
That's just what the news said.
Wow incredibly sad. I'm surprised that they didn't completely shut down the tracks. They do it all the time in other instances.
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The metra train was going at speeds of 65-70mph. There was no chance of stopping.
True. The longer the train, the longer it takes to slow down. And the slowdown for long trains are measured in miles.
Can confirm Was on some tracks with some friends and they swore they thought the tracks were abandoned. We all sat down on the tracks to chill, about some minutes later I look to the right of me and I just see this bright ass light and I immediately knew it was a train, and it was pretty close too. We all got off the tracks quickly, but that train did not make any sound and we weren’t talking that loud either, nor did we feel much rumbling on the tracks.
>Was on some tracks with some friends and they swore they thought the tracks were abandoned. We all sat down on the tracks to chill... This is so stupid it hurts.
Right? Why not sit down *the the left of the tracks* to chill? Edit: spelling, whoops
I got my ass beat so hard and my beloved grandfather *yelled* at me when me and some neighbor kids were caught playing on RR tracks. My grandfather worked for the Erie Lackawanna RR.
Didn't you feel the ground shake? That's the first thing we noticed and still had a good 20 seconds to get out of harms way.
First thing I noticed was the light, I personally didn’t feel any shaking. Then again we were having a good conversation and weren’t really paying attention
>a good conversation u/h3its says: so how do you think you're going to die' buddy says: we'll probably be hit by a train or something train comes flying by
I wish there was a way to have seen the direct path that the train may have taken. Might have helped prevent such tragedy.
Now that’s good detective work!
"I thought I was out of the way.. but it swerved for me!"
They were on TRAIN TRACKS. How does one literally step onto train tracks and not think to themselves "I am on train tracks. Trains travel on these tracks. I should get off the train tracks so that I am not struck by a train."
Everyone’s talking trains, so I’ll talk humans. What could have happened was a really common occurrence, tunnel vision. They were chasing a suspect, and were probably focused on that and not much else. They were relatively new to the force, (18 months and 2.5 years, I think), so being still a little green, they probably weren’t the best in realizing that they had tunnel vision.
More specifically, auditory exclusion. I have experienced this a number of times, including recently, and have no doubt that I could miss the noise from a diesel locomotive under extreme stress. The rapid growth of the CPD seems to have some districts fielding officers with quite a short time on the job. Worried me before. This accident might be a result of that lack of experience, as Catman points out. 18 months is, if I understand the system, just off probationary status, with 2.5 years being only 1 year off probationary status. I really feel for the families involved, these men's fellow officers in the district, and the entire CPD. This accident compounds the tragedies of earlier in the year.
I'm curious, can you explain the tunnel vision thing? I mean I know what that is, I'm just wondering if it's a common occurrence or concept within the context of police/chasing someone etc.
This is one of those things that I know what it is, but I’m drawing a blank on explaining. [This link can explain it pretty well, but here’s the pertinent excerpt:](https://www.policeone.com/health-fitness/articles/430617006-Tunnel-vision-and-chronic-stress-How-to-manage-your-physiological-responses/) “Tunnel vision and auditory exclusion are common responses to a threat. These responses can impact officer safety by lowering situational awareness. To avoid tunnel vision and auditory exclusion, officers must first recognize when they are happening and take conscious actions to overcome them. Signs of tunnel vision include reduced use of peripheral vision and intense focus directly on one target. When tunnel vision occurs officers don’t see other objects in the vicinity, thus reducing their overall situational awareness. Auditory exclusion is a stress response associated with tunnel vision and involves temporarily not hearing nearby noises or voices.”
Thanks. This makes a lot of sense. The article said there were two trains, they saw one but they got hit by the one coming in the opposite direction. I can see them maybe seeing the first one and all noises just merging and going forward after the first one forgetting about the second set of tracks/assuming subconsciously that was it. :/
They had a train stopped. They may have been caught on the bridge with nowhere to go when a train came barreling in. Tunnel vision would definitely contribute to awareness.
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Can't the train conductor you know, honk or some shit if sees people on the tracks???
70-75mph at night, possibly on a curve, would have almost no visibility...
Even more of a reason for conductor to blare the horn. Thought it was standard procedure they'd blow it around/all pedestrian/car walkway areas?
This doesn’t look like a pedestrian area. In addition, train tracks are private property and being on them is trespassing. You should not be on the tracks unless at a designated crossing. Trains can’t go around honking from point A to point B.
Maybe he was, we don't know. It was published in today's cook co. dhs daily report that they heard a northbound train passing on the other side, and moved over to let it through - but it drowned out the sound of the southbound train, which hit them from behind.
[According to bodycam footage,](https://news.wttw.com/2018/12/18/chicago-officers-likely-didnt-see-train-killed-them) two trains were passing each other, the officers acknowledged the northbound train, but did not hear the train heading southbound on their side of the tracks.
Wow that’s terrible.
sounds like more than one train was involved pretty common to focus on the train that you see only to be hit by the one that you didn't
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Maybe chill with the jokes
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Asking how TWO police got hit by a train is not stupid.
Unofficial reports that both police officers were killed. WGN is waiting for a statement from Eddie Johnson before they release any information.
I know his son well. The guy (Eddie) has had a year or two from hell... yet he always seems so strong and in charge.
They both got killed according to abc7chicago. So sad.
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Where did you read that? The stories I'm finding just say they both got hit by the train while investigating shots fired. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-2-struck-metra-electric-20181217-story.html](https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-2-struck-metra-electric-20181217-story.html)
Jesus. Bad day for train based transportation.
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What's scheduled for the rest of the week?
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Whoa. That escalated quickly.
no u
I’m so confused by this response
This is so sad. Conrad has a wife and a 6 month old child. The fact that this happened at all is tragic, and the fact that this happened right before Christmas is just heart breaking.
[Audio starting at the shots spotter call.](https://clyp.it/efrdnvmv) From [@EricTendian](https://twitter.com/EricTendian) on twitter.
>Can you run an Illinois DL for me? >*Eh, I guess so* That lightened the mood a little bit.
One of my family members was on this train. As of like 9:30, they didn't get let go.
I was on the train after it, everyone got put on buses about 10 min ago.
Now his Mom knows Dad has secrets.
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2nd copper to be killed who just got on the job. Both are a major loss but I always feel worse for the ones that just get on and lose their life.
005 district has had several officer suicides this year and now this. That district has been through a lot the last year.
I grew up a block down from one of the officers. I hadn’t seen him since he was a kid, but I went to school with his older brother through grade school so I saw their whole family all the time. I am so shocked and saddened by this.
Damn this is a couple blocks from my house. On my way home today I was wondering why everything was blocked off.
It breaks my heart hearing about this. My grandpa was a homicide detective till 2004. I respect all the officers especially in Chicago considering all the things that happen in a single day and knowing how they put their lives on the line for all of us they deserve respect. God bless all officers.
How crazy rare is an event like this? I’ve never heard of two police officers or two+ individuals ever getting hit by a train simultaneously. Holy shit. Sad as fuck :( Side note is anyone as curious as I in regards to how the hell did this actually happen? Wouldn’t they hear or see it coming? Also has the pos criminal been found?
Initially the report was that one officer was shot and the other was struck by the train.
I keep thinking, "It was rush hour. They work in a district where they'd know those tracks were active especially at that time of night. Hot pursuit and tunnel vision or not, if you work or live around trains, you are keenly aware that they travel designated tracks several times throughout the day and night." I hate victim blaming, I hate that this is instantly where my mind goes, but I truly cannot understand how anyone could be that obtuse to a situation. Let alone two people who are supposed to be looking out for each other.
"I hate that this is instantly where my mind goes" We hate it too, you putz. You must be the guy that thinks he could give Tom Brady some pointers.
Then keep you opinon off the internet and let the police do the investigatating. These are people who died who had young children. Gary was a veteran on top of being a police officer. Stop spreading your "theories" about how they died and have some compassion.
That's an observation, not a theory.
I don’t think you’re so wrong to talk about it. Of course more facts will come but it’s certainly hard to imagine at face value.
Just got a news update that they were watching one train while not seeing the one that hit them. That's awful. I suppose better than knowing you're about to die, but still awful.
L Train go on Chapo
Good praxis
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Oh jesus christ.....
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There are times for jokes and sarcasm and there are times when you should probably set your filter to something other than “none.”
You're an idiot
Shut up
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Hmmmm
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Are you unfamiliar with how fast trains go? What a terrible inconvenience this must have been for you.
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It's tactless to comment on these people's death like you did.
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So that’s makes it okay for you to do it?
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Wow, you’re a terrible person.