Train Kills 3 Teen Girls Crossing Bridge in Florida

[bumblebee]

MELBOURNE, Fla. — Three teenage girls crossing a bridge in central Florida were killed by a freight train as they desperately tried to get out of its way and their helpless friend on the other side could only watch, police said Sunday.

The girls and the fourth teenager, a boy, were hanging out in Melbourne's downtown area — known for its shops and nightclubs — when they decided to cross the trestle around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Lt. Curtis Barger said.

"The male made it across the tracks, turned around, heard the train, saw it and yelled for them to run," Barger said. "He then told them to jump."

The girls did not have enough time. Barger said all the teens were from the area, but their identities have not been released. That likely won't happen until Monday, after officials can compare dental records, he said.

John Vallee, 54, lives near the trestle that spans the Crane Creek and was watching TV when he heard a loud screech. He went outside and first thought he saw a blanket tangled under a rail car. Then he realized it was a person.

"It's going to be hard for me to get to sleep," Vallee told Florida Today. "I can't get it out of my mind."

Barger said the teens' parents dropped them off at a Melbourne mall and the kids took a bus downtown, where they were "just goofing off."

"It's very tragic," he said. "Especially because it's young folks who haven't had a chance to experience life, it's exceptionally touching."

Authorities in Melbourne, a city of about 77,000 nearly 50 miles east of Orlando, are investigating.

The track is owned by the Florida East Coast Railway, which operates about 350 miles of track along the state's east coast. Railway officials did not immediately return calls for comment.

[NeedinJustice]

That's right here where I live. What in the hell were they thinking?! How could they not hear the train!

[acalliste]

very sad.

[binx_19]

i just dont think that is the full story.

[blurr]

probably texting eachother to hurry across the tracks.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by NeedinJustice

That's right here where I live. What in the hell were they thinking?! How could they not hear the train!

They couldn't hear it because when a train is coming at you it's traveling with the sound so by the time you hear it it's a lot closer than you think (like right on top you close)

[binx_19]

Originally Posted by Joe

They couldn't hear it because when a train is coming at you it's traveling with the sound so by the time you hear it it's a lot closer than you think (like right on top you close)

trains dont travel that fast through town, at least where i live.

[kevin_stevens]

So was the screech he heard *before*, or *after*?? Inquiring minds want to know.

Sorry, I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who get run over by trains. They really don't go out of their way to get you.

KeS

[bumblebee]

Yep...trains can't cause any crashes, they run on tracks

[blurr]

People are hit by trains because they assume they are moving slower than they really are, mainly because they underestimate the speed of a larger object but also it is hard to diserne the speed of an object coming directly at you. I was actually serious with the texting however, kids now days do not put the damn things down, so inatentiveness is beyond commonplace. As for murder? Sure, could be, but with all the girls, unlikely.