# Am I going to hell for laughing my ass off at these pictures? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2013, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117 "2013-10-13T04:02:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TashaKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TashaKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TashaKitty)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/1 "2013-10-13T04:02:38Z")
[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2456893/Woman-55-left-clinging-life-22-feet-air-moment-railroad-bridge-started-lift.html](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2456893/Woman-55-left-clinging-life-22-feet-air-moment-railroad-bridge-started-lift.html) “‘She was just in this Jesus Christ position,’ witness Phillip Glazebrook told the Sun-Sentinel.” LMFAO!!! ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/2 "2013-10-13T04:14:52Z")
Couple of days in purgatory extra. No more. Ego te absolvo. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/3 "2013-10-13T04:20:36Z")
If so, I guess I’ll see you in hell! 😃 I’m glad she is alright, but she could have easily fell into the river. Must have been terrifying. I had to look up ‘terrifying’, and it still looks like it is spelled wrong. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/4 "2013-10-13T05:10:21Z")
Why would anyone think this is funny? It’s disturbing that the sight of a person in peril is a source of amusement to you. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/5 "2013-10-13T05:12:39Z")
Nah, I don’t think you’ll go to hell for it, especially since she had no business being on that bridge in the first place. I don’t want to live in a world where we can’t laugh at stupid people getting caught being stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/6 "2013-10-13T05:17:13Z")
It’s only funny because she’s Ok now. If she had fallen, I doubt they would have posted the pictures along with those specific quotes. I chucked a bit. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/7 "2013-10-13T05:23:31Z")
I think I know exactly where that bridge is. If it’s the bridge I’m thinking of, it’s near a now-closed restaurant, Shirttail Charlie’s, that we used to go to with my father-in-law. At least back then, the bridge was often in the “up” position (as there was a lot more boat traffic than there was train traffic). A terrifying situation for that woman, I’m sure, but it’s yet another reason why it’s a dumb idea to walk on active railroad tracks. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/8 "2013-10-13T06:12:33Z")
What a weird position. Short of upside down, that seems like the most labor-intensive way to hold oneself up. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/9 "2013-10-13T14:25:30Z")
Yeah it seems to me that if someone found themselves on a moving surface they’d automatically roll onto their stomach. Picture someone on a unstable raft, for instance, ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/10 "2013-10-13T16:22:15Z")
Am I the only person wondering why they didn’t just lower the drawbridge rather than wait for rescue crews with a ladder? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/11 "2013-10-13T16:53:58Z")
It’s not clear to me how this happened. It sounds like she was just walking across the bridge when it started to go up, but are pedestrians allowed on such a structure? If not, what the hell was she doing? If so, were there an warning bells? Even if she was doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing, I can’t imagine how afraid she must have been. I don’t think I would have been able to hold myself up there for two minutes, let alone 20. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/12 "2013-10-13T17:00:00Z")
[ol] [li]She was crossing a rail bridge not intended for pedestrians.[/li][li] She ignored the adjacent pedestrian walkway.[/li][li]Few bridges suddenly and unexpectedly raise; IME the bells and lights and warnings go on for quite some time - plenty of time to take action including a sprightly advance to a rear-guard position.[/li][li]She wasn’t hurt. (This is the game-changer.)[/li][li]She learned a valuable lesson, and in the course of it taught one to millions.[/li][/ol] Yes, we can laugh without worry about our souls. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/13 "2013-10-13T17:02:20Z")
I didn’t expect to laugh, but a laugh sneaked up on me nonetheless. It’s just such a scarecrow-y position that it looks staged for maximum awkwardness. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/14 "2013-10-13T17:20:31Z")
[That was Berserk.](http://wakpaper.com/large/Berserk_wallpapers_166.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Tacit\_Knowledge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@Tacit\_Knowledge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tacit_Knowledge)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/15 "2013-10-13T19:02:04Z")
Even if hell existed there would be no god to send you there. And, even if a god existed, it might have enough sense to know that the lady put herself in that awkward position. So laughing, while not the nicest response, isn’t too far out of line. Especially since the woman survived ok. ---
**Author:** ![TashaKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TashaKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TashaKitty)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/16 "2013-10-13T23:30:18Z")
Something that still has me scratching my head, though, is exactly what type of drawbridge it was. The drawbridges that I’m familiar with raise up like this: [http://www.madehow.com/images/hpm\_0000\_0006\_0\_img0046.jpg](http://www.madehow.com/images/hpm_0000_0006_0_img0046.jpg) The one in the article looks like it somehow…lifted vertically? It doesn’t make any sense to me. I’ve looked at all of the animations here [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movable\_bridge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movable_bridge) and none of them show anything that looks like the method of lift of the bridge in the article. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/17 "2013-10-13T23:36:10Z")
I think that’s exactly what you’re looking at, TK. She’s holding on to one side of the bridge that is raised to an almost-vertical position. Some drawbridges only rise to a 30-degree tilt or so; others, usually small ones or short-span ones that need to open up a lot of vertical space (as appears to be the case here) will go more vertical. The Lefty O’Doul bridge in San Francisco, IIRC, spans about 40 feet and has a one-side tilt that goes to 90 degrees. ---
**Author:** ![TashaKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TashaKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TashaKitty)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/18 "2013-10-13T23:41:47Z")
But how is there so much empty space below it? ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/19 "2013-10-13T23:44:13Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Am I the only person wondering why they didn’t just lower the drawbridge rather than wait for rescue crews with a ladder? It’s that all too common problem nowadays - the person who controlled the bridge was in Outer Mongolia or someplace. I read about this and thought that either she has brain issues from chemo or it’s a deliberate stunt. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/20 "2013-10-13T23:45:05Z")
The segment may hinge further back than at the break in the roadway. The near (then bottom) edge would rise above the fixed roadway by a proportional amount. Just a guess - I’d need to look up pix of the bridge other than the satellite view in the OP’s link. ETA: Here’s [a photo of a very similar bridge in the area](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mainmanwalkin/6182017300/). It looks as if there’s a sort of offset lift to allow clearance underneath, but I’m not sure what purpose that would serve except to allow a train to roll into the river. Anyway… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117.md?page=2)