When your time is up.. it's up.

I am not a news reporter but this is happening right in front of my house so I felt I had to comment on it. I was heading back from town. Carp that is.. After spending the night at my house, where my complicated, yet beautiful wife now resides. Yes.. It's complicated.. So after a rainy walk on the bluffs with Riley I am heading home.. La Conchita that is.. Just as I round the corner at Rincon I can see the Amtrak Surfliner is stopped dead on the tracks. Right in front of my house. It's still here. Probably be here all day.

Ok.. They only stop these things when something bad happens. So my thoughts immediately focus on my daughter who was out last night as well. Kalie is an awesome driver, but I am her dad, and this is dangerous stretch of highway.. not Freeway! So I get an ill feeling anytime I even see the traffic slow down. I will never stop worrying about her. Cars are freaking dangerous. Especially in the rain.

Anyway I get closer and finally I can see a white suv facing south, pretty well crumpled up, and stuck to the southbound Pacific Surfliner 768. First train of the day I think. There are several CHP on the scene, and some fire, but no ambulance. This all must have just happened as there was hardly any traffic backed up, and I made the turn into La Conchita with no problem. I pulled in the driveway, grabbed my camera and went down to take some shots. Feeling kind of guilty, or unsettled, or something, since I despise bad news, and the news in general, but like I said this is right in front of my house. Passengers are looking right at me in my fish bowl windows while I type this one out.

Well there are a few neighbors gathered around and the best information I have is this. The guy lost control of his vehicle, flipped and rolled, then flew off the highway and landed backwards on the train track. I don't know how long he sat there, not long is my guess, but he was promptly hit by the train. The train came to a stop basically right in front of my house, and according to witnesses, the driver got out of the vehicle walked north about 4 train cars and died right in front of my house. On the tracks in front of my house. Gnarly.. Send yours prayers and blessings to his family.. and drive carefully!

Ok.. The train just pulled away and some new information came of it. Judging by the debris on the track, it looks like the vehicle was hit about 20 yards north of my house and was pushed about not more than 150-200 yards. I don't know how fast a train going 60 miles an hour can stop? I don't think that fast. It must have seen the vehicle and made an attempt to slow down. Just a guess. That means the driver may have gotten out before he was hit by the train. All just speculation on my part..