http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... elays.html



Thanks to Amnesia for the link. Talking of cold-hearted companies, this reminded me of the gas company that charged a guy for the gas that blew up his house - and it was their problem in the first place...

I'm sorry but I disagree. Actions have consequences.

In the case of the gas company, yes that's stupid. If it's their fault then they should pay.

In the case of this guy, it's nobody's fault but his own. Cold hearted? Yes, but Network Rail aren't a f*cking charity.

If you feel that sorry for him, then start a charitable collection on his behalf. Maybe he'll feel all loved and won't do it again.

Mmm, yes, parking your car in front of a train is such a great way to kill yourself. Never mind the possibility of derailing a commuter train and killing and injuring god knows how many innocent people. Or failing that, causing serious emotional distress (the proper kind, not the I'm-going-to-sue-you type) to the poor train driver.

I hope he has to pay the lot. T0sser.

I'm actually being cold here in a sense to try and be logical about the overall outcome . I'd be the first to say the guy shouldn't have done what he did (that's obvious), but it's also obvious he has/had problems - ever see the stories of people that try to commit suicide by driving their car into someone else's? That's obviously madness due to the potential victims (as here and in the other story in the article), but presumably such people are completely in the moment and overwhelmed, something you wouldn't wish on most.

My problem is really with NR. This could turn out to be a PR disaster if nothing else - prosecuting a guy who was trying to commit suicide? That could definitely be an opinion splitter... What I'm saying is, when you consider what £18k is in the grand scheme of things with NR and the sheer folly of their deals with the operators etc, they'd probably have been better just letting this be dealt with by the police.

Although the guy was at fault, he is mentally unwell.

As someone who currently works with psychiatric patients, it becomes easier to appreciate the problems some of these people have. Given that NR wouldn't have received any money from the guy had he been successful, surely he shouldn't be billed for a failed attempt. It will just make him feel worse, and may even trigger him to commit further suicide (which may or may not cause even more damage!).

If he were a vandal, I'd completely agree with prosecuting him but given that appears to have been mentally unwell (Without an appropriate assessment, I can't say anything), it would be unwise to go ahead with this.

No I say fair play to Network Rail.

Level crossings aren't there for entertainment, the chap in question should be grateful he's alive to pay the money

I seriously don't think Network Rail are in a position to be charitable, even for the sake of PR.

If we were talking about almost any other big company, then you'd probably be right. However, NR is not any other company. Their costs directly impact on ticket prices, and remember that rail companies are held accountable for every train that is late.

I doubt you'd find many train passengers willing to pay the £18,000 out of sympathy for some guy that flipped after breaking a restraining order.

Besides, the guy was driving a 4x4 so he's obviously evil

I'd like to add that I've been in a fairly similar situation myself to this guy, and I paid the cost. In my case, the damage was less than £2K but I was 19 and skint at the time. I would not have expected or wanted anyone else to pay my debts, although I was grateful for the moral support and understanding of my closest friends. What I did was incredibly stupid and reckless, and quite frankly I think I got off lightly.

Is there even any real prospect of getting £18k out of this guy unless he caves, especially since he was obviously mentally unstable at the time?

And what are the chances of NR getting their 'court costs' back?

His car is probably worth more than that. He probably shouldn't be driving it in his condition anyway.

I think it is fair play on NR.

What got me mad the other week was the suicide of Robert Enke, throwing himself in front of a regional express...

The press was full of sorrow and condolences for his family, the German national team put off their next game, the fans flocked to the Hannover 96 stadium to pay their respects...

Only one programme had the courage to ask about train drivers caught up in this sort of selfish act!

A friend of ours was a train driver.

One day he was pulling a freight train slowly through a station. The stationmaster's toddler son was - perhaps foolishly - being allowed to ride a tricycle on the platform, and veered a little too close to the edge...

My friend was off work for a year. In fact, he had to leave the job because he simply couldn't face being in the cab any more, even though nothing actually happened. It was the potential for disaster that ruined his career.

While I understand the angst of someone who might think of throwing themselves under a moving train, I feel it's a very selfish thing to do and can wreck far more lives than just the relatives of the suicide, not to mention the police and medical crews who have to clear up the mess.

I'm with the companies on this one.
He should never have entered the level crossing if he couldn't get across. That was dangerous driving and he should have to pay the consequences. It'll teach him (and other) not to drive recklessly.
Why should the companies have to pay for damage he caused?

I agree.

The man obviously was non compos mentis and should not be held accountable for his actions whilst in that state.