|
To Celebrate OL Week NYOL Ran Special Train: Rensselaer to Saratoga
Michael H. Zurlo, a Saratoga County sheriff’s investigator who has handled several railroad fatalities, said, “They’re difficult for both the families and the engineers. This (ride-along) is good because it gives you an idea what it’s like for them.”
NYOL has organized programs annually for the 4,500 students in the Ballston Spa School District since the 1998 fatality involving one of their former classmates. All county schools will receive the program next year.
Police and other participants on the ride between Renssaelaer and Saratoga were rotated in the cab of the train to see the world as the engineer sees it, looking down the narrow tracks while trying to anticipate what’s around the next bend.
Trespassing on the tracks is also important in New York, which is among the top states for trespass fatalities. “There’s no common denominator in the type of person who is a railroad trespasser,” said Colonie Town Justice Paul Crummey. “We have teens, and we have cases where people trespass long term, maybe in an attempt to make the railroad their home.”
Lt. John Tibbits of the New York State Police Traffic Safety Program said terrorism has created a new focal point for trespassing concerns which have existed for decades. “Is someone walking by the tracks taking a casual stroll or gathering information?’’ he noted. “We must remain ever-vigilant for the threat of terrorism.”
|
To unsubscribe
from our mailing list, reply
to this message with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.
------------------------------------------
Contact Operation Lifesaver:
1420 King Street, Suite 401
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
(703) 739-0308
(800) 537-6224
Email:general@oli.org
|
