# Who needs urban legends when stuff like this happens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 29, 2008, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002 "2008-05-29T12:51:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/1 "2008-05-29T12:51:56Z")
The cautionary tale of the month: Two teen-age girls in Maine lose limbs when they skip class to sunbathe on a train trestle. [Read all about it!](http://wbztv.com/local/maine.train.crash.2.734918.html) ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/2 "2008-05-29T12:59:08Z")
Urban legends always have that little nasty twist at the start, the girls would have to be high on some otherwise ordinary household item like cat piss or the like. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/3 "2008-05-29T13:25:23Z")
I’d ask why the living hell anyone would lay down on train tracks to sunbathe, but then, I’ve had to narrowly dodge a couple of sleeping teenage girls who decided to lay down with their heads sticking into the middle of the road, so I guess this isn’t unprecedented. Who knows, maybe it was that same pair. Personally, the one I feel sorry for in this situation is the train engineer. He’ll have to live with this for the rest of his life just as much as those girls will, and he’s the one who didn’t do anything wrong. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/4 "2008-05-29T13:32:57Z")
Teenagers… always having to pick up after them. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/5 "2008-05-29T13:37:44Z")
[QUOTE=Roland Orzabal] Personally, the one I feel sorry for in this situation is the train engineer. [/QUOTE] Let’s hope that was the last leg of his journey. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/6 "2008-05-29T14:06:12Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Let’s hope that was the last leg of his journey. [/QUOTE] **tdn** , this is horrible. You shouldn’t be getting a kick out of this. How could you say something like this when tragedy is afoot? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/7 "2008-05-29T14:23:46Z")
Okay fair ladies, repeat after me… _The pain in Maine is mostly from the train._ ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/8 "2008-05-29T14:26:28Z")
Rachel Brown, 14, may grow several more inches, but she’ll never grow another foot! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/9 "2008-05-29T14:27:05Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] **tdn** , this is horrible. You shouldn’t be getting a kick out of this. How could you say something like this when tragedy is afoot? [/QUOTE] Sorry. I feel like a heel. From now on I’ll toe the line. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/10 "2008-05-29T14:30:42Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Okay fair ladies, repeat after me… _The pain in Maine is mostly from the train._ [/QUOTE] Mainly from the train! MAINLY from the train! ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/11 "2008-05-29T14:39:34Z")
[QUOTE=Sunrazor] Mainly from the train! MAINLY from the train! [/QUOTE] Right. It was somewhat from the trestle. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/12 "2008-05-29T14:45:23Z")
Parents of both teens reportedly contacted attorneys to consider litigation against the railroad, but were told their case didn’t have a leg to stand on. _Ba-dum-bum_ ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/13 "2008-05-29T14:47:07Z")
At least they both lived. No one has to deal with the guilt of being the sole survivor. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/14 "2008-05-29T14:49:41Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] Parents of both teens reportedly contacted attorneys to consider litigation against the railroad, but were told their case didn’t have a leg to stand on. _Ba-dum-bum_ [/QUOTE] Actually, they do have a leg to stand on but it’s shaky. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/15 "2008-05-29T14:52:39Z")
How does a freight train “come up” on you when you are lying on the track?! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/16 "2008-05-29T14:53:32Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] Parents of both teens reportedly contacted attorneys to consider litigation against the railroad, but were told their case didn’t have a leg to stand on. [/QUOTE] Too bad. It looks to me like the railroad is their arch enemy. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/17 "2008-05-29T14:54:42Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] How does a freight train “come up” on you when you are lying on the track?! [/QUOTE] Pretty much like this: “Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding SMACK.” ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/18 "2008-05-29T15:13:47Z")
Perhaps they can rail on the company in the press and engineer a lawsuit for a quadrillion dollars, seeking joint and several liability. However, their being on the tracks might ham string their case. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/19 "2008-05-29T15:18:27Z")
Thomas sped merrily on his way home. He couldn’t wait to tell the other engines the adventures he had that day. The next day Sir Topham Hatt painted another two marks on Thomas’s cab and told Thomas how pleased he was. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002/20 "2008-05-29T15:35:21Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] Thomas sped merrily on his way home. He couldn’t wait to tell the other engines the adventures he had that day. The next day Sir Topham Hatt painted another two marks on Thomas’s cab and told Thomas how pleased he was. [/QUOTE] Ding ding ding. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-needs-urban-legends-when-stuff-like-this-happens/451002.md?page=2)