HOUSTON — The mayor of Houston says the city will build a pedestrian bridge over Union Pacific tracks where a high school student was killed earlier this week, and wants the railroad to pay for at least some of the project.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Mayor John Whitmore said Wednesday (Dec. 11), as reported by KTRK-TV. “The easy way is: Grant us the right-of-way, assist us in the cost, and let’s fix one of your safety issues.”
Sergio Rodriguez, a 15-year-old student at Milby High School in the city’s East End, was killed Monday when struck by a train while crossing the tracks. He was crossing about a half-mile from the nearest grade crossing. “He crossed farther down in a grassy area that would not be an area HISD would monitor,” Houston Independent School District spokeswoman Alexandra Elizondo told the station. “HISD obviously cannot monitor the full length of the train track.”
Houston Public Media reports the bridge is estimated to cost $6.5 million. The mayor and some city council members said similar projects are needed elsewhere in the city — and that schools also need to act.
“I just hope that the schools will take the responsibility as well,” council member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz said. “If it means a general assembly, whatever it needs, it can’t just go away.” Council member Joaquin Martinez said, “We really need to inform and educate the community about the dangers of these trains,” but added, “I recognize what the trains do for our communities … but at some point, Union Pacific needs to bear some of the responsibility.”
A railroad representative said in a statement that Union Pacific “joins the Houston community in grieving Monday’s tragic accident and will continue working on lasting solutions, including educating students and families about rail safety.”
Rodriguez’ parents have filed a wrongful death suit against the railroad and an unnamed train operator, seeking more than $1 million in damages, Houston Public Media reports. The suit cites the lack of fencing along the right-of-way as part of “gross negligence” on the part of the railroad. UP declined comment on the lawsuit.
An online petition signed by more than 1,100 people has also called for the removal of the school’s principal, saying her “failure to acknowledge the grief of students or to offer the support needed in this time of loss is not just a poor judgment call — it is a fundamental misstep in her role as an educator and leader.”
Unfortunately I have to disagree with everyone that says this is a tragic loss. I’m a firm believer in the Darwin theory and in this case once again Darwin has weeded out one of the weak links. I feel no sympathy towards the family or the dead student…everyone is talking about a return to common sense. Well the parents showed no common sense by not teaching their teenager to cross an active rail line, and the former student showed no common sense by doing said act. The only ones that get my sympathy are the train crew that had to witness the death. As for the lawsuit, because Congress is full of laywers we will never overhaul our system…or at least not until non-lawyer with real common sense see that a maximum payout limit and no juries for such trials is the way to go.
The UP owes Houston didly squat, they don’t need to pay for anything. If Houston wants a pedestrian overpass near that high school then they can foot the bill themselves. It’s telling how important building a pedestrian bridge is to the mayor when he doesn’t even have the guts to just build the thing out of the Houston city budget ASAP.
Crossing tracks is no more dangerous than crossing a street, probably much less so since there are many fewer trains than highway vehicles and trains follow a well-defined path. In either case one must be cautious and know that the way is clear. This requires that vision and hearing are not impaired. People should take responsibility for their own safety.
elderlentzes@gmail.com
If it’s of any value: here in Grand Island, NE, the UP’s two tracks through the center of the city (half of it business, half of predominantly residential areas) are guarded by fencing (on both sides in some places, otherwise on one side) put in about 15 years ago. UP itself apparently took the initiative in building them. But we must remember: the railroad itself was here first (at least in Grand Island)!
Facing the railroad right of way, perhaps a sign or signs on school property stating “Expect a train on any day, at any time, in any direction” would improve student awareness and hopefully prevent future tragedies like this.
Until legislators (Most of them are lawyers) stop giving plantiff lawyers the “free shot” in cases like this, it will continue. A lot of cases are setteled when there was no negligence on the company or person being sued. It was cheaper to pay some than fight it to a verdict.. These lawsuits are costing the public billions of dollars added to the cost of a product or service. It will take a very determined effort to correct this abuse of justice. But dammit, it needs to be done.
If they build a pedestrian bridge, the kids will still cut across the tracks wherever they want. Even if the bridge is 100ft away, Unfortunately, it is what kids do. If the tracks are busy, then they should know better. You cannot teach common sense. It is a senseless tragedy for all involved. It is NOT the rail road’s responsibility to make towns all over the world child proof, animal or trespasser free, that would be an impossible task.
Houston is obviously too dangerous a place for railroad service. Perhaps all railroads currently serving the community should rip up their facilities and bypass the city.
I feel bad for the train crew, but certainly not the student. I would love it if the railroad and the crew involved, sued the parents for negligence
No one seems to asking a key question, was the kid wearing earbuds while he was crossing the tracks? If the train was slow moving, then the engineer must have seen him and have been using the horn.
Can’t tell you how many people (kids, adults, all of them) either skateboarding, rollerblading, jogging, walking the dog in the middle of the street with their earbuds on listening to something.
Money won’t bring back the kids life and I am sorry for the family’s loss.
I usually don’t comment on these things, but this is so frustrating…
Per WCSC Channel 5 in Houston (https://www.live5news.com/2024/12/11/friends-15-year-old-killed-by-train-way-school-plan-keep-his-memory-alive/):
“Police say the train was traveling at a slow speed when Rodriguez was hit and killed.”
“Officials say Rodriguez crossed the railroad tracks at a non-designated area, away from a separate crossing monitored by police.”
“The school district says students are regularly reminded not to cross the tracks when a train is present, and tardies due to train delays are excused.”
Yet it is the railroad’s fault for not having a fence??? With this reasoning we should also have fencing along all the roads around a school so that if a student decides to jaywalk in front of a slow moving car and gets killed, despite the fact there are crosswalks and no reason the student should ignore the law and the vehicle, it is the driver’s fault! Oh, and the surrounding neighborhoods’ fault for not putting up fences.
The news video at https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2024/12/11/parents-of-15-year-old-hisd-student-killed-by-train-while-walking-to-school-file-lawsuit-against-union-pacific/ also says volumes about the lawyers in this case. They basically state that Union Pacific knew that kids cross here (of course they don’t mention the kids illegally cross the tracks and could easily cross at a legal crossing) and therefor UP should have put up a fence. So I guess if an area of town is prone to illegal acts it is up to the home or business owners to install more locks, fences, and security devices because they know their area is prone to illegal activity? It’s not the fault of those who ignore the law if the locals don’t protect themselves enough from illegal activities? If a 15-year old breaks in to a business and gets hurt, then it clearly is the business that didn’t do enough to prevent the break-in, and not the fault of the 15-year old did something stupid?
The real fault here lies with lawyers that bring these frivolous lawsuits to bear. I’m sorry a life was lost – that’s tragic. But people, including young people, have to realize they are responsible for their own actions. I also fault the parents in this case for being willing to listen to the lawyers to make monetary gain on this tragedy. I hope when all is said and done something comes of this – and its not putting up more fences!
Sadly, there will be a substantial settlement to the family of a dumb-a** kid. In our current litigious society, if one sneezes backwards people are looking to blame someone else and for a payday. I agree with the poster that suggests that the parents of the victim should be sued.
The US is probably the worst country when it comes to juries in civil cases. Some countries do not have juries in civil cases while those that do tend to have protections against juries which get carried away with the awards, especially punitive damages if allowed. Many do not allow lawyers to publicly advertise. Most important of all, the majority of them allow the prevailing party or parties to recover its/their legal expenses. [That’s why including someone or some company in a lawsuit mainly because of it’s “deep pockets” is far more rare than in the USA.]
The death of this student is tragic, however, if someone runs across an interstate and gets hit by a semi, is it the truck drivers fault? To blame Union Pacific and/or the “unnamed train operator” for the death is ridiculous.
I once was a high school student myself, at Sharon, Massachusetts. To walk to school, I had the choice to walk down to the tunnel under the New Haven Railroad at Sharon Heights, or simply walk across the tracks. Guess which one I did.
Cut to sixty years later, September of this year, Sharon is now HSR territory. I’m sitting at the Sharon station, having gotten off MBTA’s Providence Line. An over-testoseroned young man of about 18 – 20 years age decides to walk across the r/w, hopping the low fence that divides the two tracks. This isn’t the 1960’s any more. EB Acelas from Providence come around the Sharon Heights curve at, I don’t know exactly, maybe 110 mph. The kid made it across.
Trains and high-school student stupidity are a poor mix. A footbridge in Texas won’t solve that. Operation Lifesaver is the only path forward.
Charles – I normally and fundamentally disagree with most of the things you post. In this case, I am in agreement with you. Are they suggesting all roads, trails, and tracks should be fenced? You frequently talk about the CHSR boondoggle. How much would this cost?
I’m sorry for the loss here. But who is ultimately responsible for teaching kids to stay off the tracks?
In, the last paragraph, I learned something new about the fundamental role of a school principal.
Maybe the role of a school principal should be to refer her students to Operation Lifesaver.