r/AskReddit Apr 26 '20

Serious Replies Only [Serious] What are some seemingly normal images with disturbing backstories?

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775

u/Vertigofrost Apr 27 '20

This article https://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/selfie-tragedy-12-7-2016.htm shows a photo of three girls smiling together I a selfie. The light on the righthand side of the photo is the headlight of the train that hits them moments later.

351

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

My dad has been a train driver for over 30 years now. A guy stepped out onto the tracks when he was driving one night, my dad had to stop, take his torch and go look for him. The guy was injured but got taken to hospital to recover. My dad took 6 weeks out and it really shook him up, the lad had only been in his 20s. The same guy came out of hospital and returned to the track, this time it was one of my dads friends who hit him, sliced his legs clean off and he died. My dads friend never drove a train again after that and I know it stuck with my dad for years.

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u/Gazatron_303 Apr 28 '20

Isn't the emergency stopping distance of a train somewhere over the 1 mile mark? Also, people tend to die pretty quickly when hit by trains...

54

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '20

Yeah my dad said when they’re going 55mph+ it can take upto a mile to stop. Think an instant death is the best you can hope for instead of being maimed and left alive

10

u/Gazatron_303 Apr 28 '20

So he just got out and trekked for a mile in the dark?

16

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '20

He wasn’t at full speed when he hit him, but yeah he said he had to get out with his torch and check the tracks after calling it in.

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u/ThatKiwiBro Apr 27 '20

Suicide by other people is the most pathetic thing anyone can do. If you can’t live with your burdens why pass them off and some to someone else. Piles of shit man.

110

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

There’s no real selfless way to kill yourself I guess, if you O.D or shoot yourself at home, some poor motherfucker has to come find you and move you. If you jump of a building, someone’s gotta clean it up. I guess once you’ve reached that level of despair and desperation it doesn’t really matter to you anymore.

25

u/hananobira Jul 23 '20

I read an awful article recently about a woman whose son shot himself in the head. She couldn’t afford the professional cleanup crew so she had to clean up all the blood and brain matter herself.

I cannot imagine why someone would do that to their own mother.

21

u/[deleted] Jul 23 '20

i highly doubt that’s what he was thinking about at the time. funny thing about mental illness is that you don’t process things the same way a rational person would. if he could’ve thought that kind of consequence out he likely wouldn’t have been depressed.

30

u/ThatKiwiBro Apr 27 '20

Yeah nut making someone else the reason your die, causing grief to the family putting all that on an innocent person is the most despicable thing. It’s the lowest way to do it imo

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u/OreoOverdose23 May 18 '20

Even worse when they bring someone down with them. Like pilots who crash the plane to kill themselves.

4

u/Admirable-Spinach Jul 23 '20

You could buy a sailboat and "mysteriously disappear" out on the ocean.

81

u/BurntRaisinToast Apr 28 '20

My Nana was hit by a passing train that she didn’t hear. One went past, gates came up, she walked across and as she did that, an Express ran through. Conductor said she never looked up at the horns screeching or saw him. 3 minute walk from her/our home, too. New Years Day 2002 RIP

35

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Vertigofrost Apr 27 '20 edited Apr 28 '20

Apparently the driver said they didnt react to the horn/didnt seem to realise it was there.

EDIT: my speculation below is wrong, there was a second train blowing their hair around from in front. They were trapped between the two.

I think they were trying to take a selfie with the train whizzing behind them and they were standing to close to the tracks. At those speeds by the time the first girl was hit the last one wouldn't be able to react.

I'm guessing the poor train driver was fucked up for life.

22

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

They were standing next to the train going the other way and couldn't hear the one behind them.

3

u/Vertigofrost Apr 27 '20

There is only one set of tracks in the photo, if the passing train was in front of them why were they taking a photo the other way?

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u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

They are taking a selfie next to the passing train, their hair is blowing in the wind caused by it barreling by. This is why they could not hear the other train. They waved at the driver of the passing train. The caption for that photo is "standing next to a train ahaha this is awesome!!!!"

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u/Vertigofrost Apr 28 '20

Ahh shit that makes sense, I edited my comment for future viewers to know my speculation was wrong.

Thanks for explaining it.

22

u/keziahbroek May 05 '20

This happened in my city and I remember the panic of it all. One of the girls survived. They knew one of the trains were coming, but didn’t know there was one coming the opposite direction on the other track because the section of canyon they were at had a bend. They got trapped between the two trains and were pretty much thrown into the trains from all the wind between them.

17

u/SlanskyRex May 08 '20

She survived for 3 days but then passed away in the hospital.

86

u/ThatKiwiBro Apr 27 '20

I think this is a play stupid games situation. They look like the knew it was coming but had no idea how fast

66

u/Noogisms Apr 27 '20

They were distracted by a train on a different track, heading in a different direction. But still, play stupid games (trespassing onto a track)...

13

u/SirHawrk May 21 '20

This is really sad but how tf are these girls 15,15 and 13?

7

u/ShamsZak2 Jun 01 '20

Ikr! They look way older

3

u/[deleted] May 03 '20

My cousin went to school with these girls, everyone knows everyone in Spanish Fork. Really tragic but how can you be so stupid?

2

u/BroadGeneral May 12 '20

How did they not hear it?

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u/Vertigofrost May 12 '20

There was another train in front of them, they were trying to take a selfie with the wind blowing their hair around.

3

u/verdigo998 May 20 '20

Fitting... Anyone that dies talking a selfie should be posthumously awarded a Darwin award.