Florida Jogger Listening to iPod Struck by Train
Train severs legs of Pompano jogger listening to iPod
Woman was listening to iPod during run
By Andrew Tran and Brian Haas
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted July 6 2007, 1:45 PM EDT
POMPANO BEACH -- A 32-year-old woman jogging Thursday morning had her legs severed by a freight train, authorities said.
The woman, identified as Cheryl Ann Risse, of Pompano Beach, was expected to survive her injuries after going into surgery in the afternoon, said Keyla Concepcion, spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff's Office. It was not clear what happened before the train struck her in the 2100 block of North Dixie Highway, Concepcion said.
Risse lives across the tracks from the Pompano Beach Airpark, which has a popular jogging trail.
According to Concepcion, Risse often jogged across the tracks on her way to the airpark. She was running just before noon, listening to her iPod music player and crossing the tracks when a Florida East Coast Railway freight locomotive rolled her way. The train struck her, severing both legs below the knees.
The engineer kept going south, unaware of the accident until he saw the flashing emergency lights as he was heading back north minutes later.
A passing deputy noticed Risse waving her arms. When paramedics arrived, she called out for her fiance and complained her feet hurt, even though her legs had been severed.
"My feet are on fire," she told Tony Long, a battalion chief for Pompano Beach Fire-Rescue, who responded to the scene. "Do you think you can put the fire out? They're really hurting."
Paramedics rushed her to North Broward Medical Center in critical condition.
Her fiance, Dave Abate, said the couple were engaged but didn't yet have a wedding date. He said she sold cars for a living, but was too distraught to say any more.
Accidents like this happen too frequently and people need to be more aware when crossing the tracks, said Brian Nicholson, a spokesman for the railroad. He also pointed out that Risse did not cross at a railroad crossing.
"If you look at the amount of crossings we have in South Florida, just by sheer numbers, there is a lot of potential for things to happen," he said. "And it does occur more than we want it to."
Woman was listening to iPod during run
By Andrew Tran and Brian Haas
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted July 6 2007, 1:45 PM EDT
POMPANO BEACH -- A 32-year-old woman jogging Thursday morning had her legs severed by a freight train, authorities said.
The woman, identified as Cheryl Ann Risse, of Pompano Beach, was expected to survive her injuries after going into surgery in the afternoon, said Keyla Concepcion, spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff's Office. It was not clear what happened before the train struck her in the 2100 block of North Dixie Highway, Concepcion said.
Risse lives across the tracks from the Pompano Beach Airpark, which has a popular jogging trail.
According to Concepcion, Risse often jogged across the tracks on her way to the airpark. She was running just before noon, listening to her iPod music player and crossing the tracks when a Florida East Coast Railway freight locomotive rolled her way. The train struck her, severing both legs below the knees.
The engineer kept going south, unaware of the accident until he saw the flashing emergency lights as he was heading back north minutes later.
A passing deputy noticed Risse waving her arms. When paramedics arrived, she called out for her fiance and complained her feet hurt, even though her legs had been severed.
"My feet are on fire," she told Tony Long, a battalion chief for Pompano Beach Fire-Rescue, who responded to the scene. "Do you think you can put the fire out? They're really hurting."
Paramedics rushed her to North Broward Medical Center in critical condition.
Her fiance, Dave Abate, said the couple were engaged but didn't yet have a wedding date. He said she sold cars for a living, but was too distraught to say any more.
Accidents like this happen too frequently and people need to be more aware when crossing the tracks, said Brian Nicholson, a spokesman for the railroad. He also pointed out that Risse did not cross at a railroad crossing.
"If you look at the amount of crossings we have in South Florida, just by sheer numbers, there is a lot of potential for things to happen," he said. "And it does occur more than we want it to."
posted by WalkSports.com | 7:48 AM
6 Comments:
Horrible accident. The headline makes it sound like it was all because she was listening to music though, which I disagree with.
Sarah your a smart girl. You are saying that headphones played no role in the runner not hearing thousands of pounds of steel barreling down on her? Very interesting. Since the train conductor did not hear or see her maybe he was listening to his ipod. And if these devices are not hindering or distracting why has the governing body of roadracing banned them in road events. Enforcement of these rules would disqualify a runner and their performance if the race organizers enforce the rule at their event. Just wondering out loud.
SteveS
Sarah, you are absolutely right. Listening to music would not prevent her from SEEING a train coming. And how would you cross train tracks without looking? This is an attention problem that could just as easily have happened without the ipod. The governing body of road racing banning ipods is a bunch of old "purists" trying to make their sport the elitist event it once was. This is just a way to discourage the recreational runner from these events. Next thing you know they will ban 10 min/mile and slower runners. If this is truly a safety issue shouldn't they perform hearing tests at events and ban the deaf? Running with an ipod is not any more dangerous that running while talking with a friend. And for those of us that are out on the course a while it makes the run a lot more fun.
Sean McM.
Well I run a lot with an ipod while training on some routes, but it certainly is more inherently unsafe. Would you drive your car or ride your bike with headphones on? I won't do it while running on a trail that is heavily used by bikes or requires a lot of traffic awareness.
I agree that out on the streets some people make poor choices with their headphones and their volume. I use headphones that do not fit very snugly and I keep my volume down so that I can still hear whats around me. I agree that if you are completely tuning out the world it is more dangerous. This is a personal choice issue just like driving while talking on the phone (and MUCH less dangerous to those around you than driving while talking). It shouldn't be any more dangerous on a controlled course during an organized race. If the course is truly controlled there is very little additional risk to using an ipod.
Sean McM.
Steve, I didn't say that listening to music isn't distracting. All things being equal, you will hear more if you're running without an ipod than if you're running with one. But to say that she didn't hear, as you put it, "thousands of pounds of steel barreling down on her" simply because she was listening to music is a bit of a stretch.
USATF has banned them in races, and I can agree with that. I guess my main point is more that people have to take personal responsibility for their safety. If you choose to listen to music, it's your responsibility to maintain awareness of what's going on around you!
Terrible accident either way.
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