What Happens to the Brain...Did It Leave???
By LadyMarissa
@LadyMarissa (12148)
United States
May 9, 2009 4:37am CST
They were just telling on the news about a woman whose car broke down on a set of railroad tracks. The cross bar came down hitting her car as a train was coming. She just sat there until the train hit her car, Now she's in the hospital. WHAT WAS SHE THINKING??? I've never been in that situation, but I do believe I'd get out of the car & walk off. There was NOTHING she could do to save the car so I'd hope my first instinct would be to save myself!!! Do you think that you'd have the wherewithall to get out & remove yourself from a dangerous situation or just sit there & wait on destruction??? If you're thinking of sitting there, please tell me your train of thought (no pun intended).
6 people like this
9 responses
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
9 May 09
Surely this all happened in a matter of seconds yes? 
If so, then I could understand shock maybe clouding her judgement. But if there was a considerable amount of time between the cross bar blocking her car and the train arriving (like a minute or so), then it makes no sense at all why she'd just sit there. Maybe they were playing her song on the radio? Or there was a news story about a woman's car trapped on the tracks and she was keen to hear the outcome!
If so, then I could understand shock maybe clouding her judgement. But if there was a considerable amount of time between the cross bar blocking her car and the train arriving (like a minute or so), then it makes no sense at all why she'd just sit there. Maybe they were playing her song on the radio? Or there was a news story about a woman's car trapped on the tracks and she was keen to hear the outcome! 1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
12 May 09
Well, He must have been on a break/out to lunch with Superman..
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
9 May 09
OMG James....you're sooo BADDD!!! They don't really say how long she was there. The arm came down into her back window. I would like to think that if she had sat there for long, somebody would have walked up to the car & say get out of your car. Nothing like that was mentioned. Check out the link in dragon's response just a couple above you. Maybe you will read something I missed!!!
2 people like this
@ebook_freak (1511)
• India
12 May 09
Well, frankly speaking, I would not walk away. I would run away from there as fast as possible. Oh dear, my life is more precious than a car. I think the lady must have been shocked to a great extent.
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
12 May 09
For whatever reason, this story has bothered me a lot. I remembered a very similar thing happening near my home. Fortunately a cop pulled her from her car just moments before the train hit the car & the car exploded in flames. She said she didn't see the train. I've been researching this reaction & it seems the large majority of people stay in their car. Now I'm doing my best to make a conscience effort to think about such a situation. Fortunately, I only have to go across one set of tracks when I go to town. The others have bridges going across them.
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
10 May 09
It's so weird that it makes me wonder what goes on in the brain to where the body doesn't feel in danger in that particular situation. A very similar situation happened near my home. A cop got her out only seconds before the train hit her car & the car burst into flames. She was shaken when everything was over. She swears that she had NO idea a train was barreling down on her. Fortunately I dont have to cross many tracks to get where I'm going!!!
1 person likes this
@sparkofinsanity (20471)
• Regina, Saskatchewan
10 May 09
You can't fool me..........you did so intend the pun. LOL
She wasn't thinking. That's the point. Brain freeze from shock. But really really dumb not to snap out of it when she saw how close the train was don't you think?
Me? I'd be out of there kicking and screaming!
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
12 May 09
You kick & scream so much...NOBODY would even notice!!! 
I've been researching this subject & it seems that she had a normal reaction. 
I wonder what it is with the brain that just doesn't register as danger when it sees a train coming toward it??? 
Fortunately, I only have to deal with one set of tracks when I head into town. I'm making it a practice to look up & down those tracks so my brain will hopefully think "train"!!!
I've been researching this subject & it seems that she had a normal reaction. I wonder what it is with the brain that just doesn't register as danger when it sees a train coming toward it??? Fortunately, I only have to deal with one set of tracks when I head into town. I'm making it a practice to look up & down those tracks so my brain will hopefully think "train"!!!1 person likes this
@celticeagle (189838)
• Boise, Idaho
10 May 09
No, I am afraid I just couldn't set there. Perhaps they are in shock or something. Maybe they think they can get out in time. I just don't know. I could see if they were blocked and couldn't get out for some reason but to just set there and not try to save yourself is rediculous. And what about the other people around? I wonder if anyone could try to have gotten her attention and made her get out too!
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
10 May 09
I hope I wouldn't just freeze if I were in the same situation. I've done a little more research since hearing this. It seems that it isn't all that uncommon. Our brain usually sends out signals to instinctively save ourselves first. It makes me wonder why the brain works differently when a train in involved!!!
1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
9 May 09
Hi LadyM,
I think when you are in that situation, some people just froze and cannot not move and some people do have some have the presence of mind to just get the hell out of the car, we just don't know what we would do in that situation and hope we would never be.
Tamara
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
9 May 09
I'm wondering more about what it is with the brain that the first thought wasn't it's time to evacuate!!! A lady did the same thing near my home. She didn't get out until a cop walked over, opened the door & told her to get out. He said she gave him such a blank stare as if to ask WHY???
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
9 May 09
Of course I'd get out and away from the tracks! I'd like to hear what she has to say when she can talk. What was she thinking?! How old was she? I know some people under 30 don't think for themselves and are pretty helpless when it comes to decisions. Can you give me a link to the story? What an idiot! Or maybe she had some medical issues?
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
9 May 09
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story/MARC-Train-Hits-Car-in-Rockville/ijQJ_BnMCEKCQhXpToIYzQ.cspx
She's only in her 20s so maybe her car was more important than her life. I didn't hear them say how old she was & had just assumed it was an elderly lady who couldn't think straight. I have heard of this happening more than once. I hope I'm NEVER in that situation; but if I am, I hope I'll be able to think get the hell outta here!!!
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
9 May 09
Apparently, she thought more of her car than she did of her own life! Unfortunately, there ARE people like that in the world... material things are everything to them.
Needless to say, I'd have been outta that car so fast that anyone who might have been watching would have only seen a blur, from my car to WAY far away! I guess she was thinking that she could have gotten her car out of that situation before the train got it out for her.
I thought it was basically instinctive as a human being to save yourself. But, then, there are those with absolutely NO common sense!
It's a miracle she's alive! 
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
9 May 09
In looking up the link for dragon, I realized that she was only in her early 20s. I had just assumed that she was an elderly lady that froze up. It was 5 in the afternoon & rush hour in that area. It's a very busy suburb of Washington DC. It just wasn't her day to go is all I can say!!!
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
10 May 09
This seems to be a phenomenon that happens frequently with trains. I'm making a conscience effort to think train...get the hell OUT!!! I hope I'm never in that situation; but, if I am, I hope my common sense will kick in & say GET OUT!!! If you do a search on train hits car this seems to be the normal reaction. To me, that is scarey!!!
1 person likes this
