Posted on 12/19/2005 8:13:17 AM PST by beaversmom
A MUM told last night how her son was killed by a train as he saved his dog.
Steven Fraser, 27, leapt on to the tracks when he spotted Labrador Sasha on the railway line.
He managed to throw Sasha to safety, but seconds later, dad-to-be Steven was killed by a train.
His mum Catherine said: "To think that Steven died trying to save a dog seems crazy. But that is the kind of person he was. He wasn't thinking of himself."
Steven's fiancee Deborah Smith, who is due to give birth on December 29, is still trying to come to terms with the tragedy.
Catherine, 44, lives a stone's throw from Hillington East station, Glasgow, where the accident happened.
She said she would always be haunted by the sound of trains passing her home.
Catherine added: "Each time, I hear the sound of a train, I relive the horrific way Steven died."
Steven, a print worker at the Daily Record's printing plant in Cardonald, was hit by a train heading from Glasgow to Gourock on Monday night.
He had chased the dog after it sneaked out when a neighbour called at the family home.
Steven rang his brother Ian to say he was trying to catch the dog.
Ian, 26, said: "He said the dog was on the loose and he had spotted him on the railway track.
"I immediately ran down to the station, but I was too late.
"I realised Steven had been hit by the train. I was in a state of total shock and disbelief. It hasn't really sunk in.
"He was such a decent guy and he worked hard to look after his family.
"He was looking forward to a new baby and his life was all laid out before him."
Steven and his mum had planned to go shopping last night to buy a "mother's ring" for Deborah. Catherine said: "I will still get the ring that Steven planned to buy.
"Their lives were all planned and everything was going so well.
"I don't know how she will pick herself up to deal with this huge grief while she is bringing up a new baby."
Steven was also very close to son Shaun, five, from a previous relationship
However, Hillington East is a 2 platform station with 4 tracks. I'm not saying that's a safe environment to walk on active rail lines but it's not a rail yard. Also, since the guy lived so close to the station and the tracks, he was undoubtedly familiar with the dangers represented by these four lines. If the dog couldn't respond to his owner's urgent plea to "come" to him, then it's foolhardy (obviously) to run up on the track and toss him while remaining on the tracks yourself.
I'm sticking with my suicide theory unless I see something printed from the train engineer.
He was a brave man reacting to a situation, it doesn't always work out. It's a shame his act is being picked at by people that don't understand the power of the impulse to action.
It is sad, especially for the children. I remember my mom's cousins (in Northern Ireland) complaining that none of the young people seemed to get married ... and that was back in the early 80's!
Same here with my Shepherds...
The are well socialized around all kinds of people,animals,machinery and traffic...they come when called...even off deer..and recall regardless of their natural inclinations..or how high in drive they are in at the moment..
If you take the time and make training them a priority your voice is your leash...and they learn obedience regardless of drive state.
Though I would think one or two good blasts on the engine's multiple air horns would have sent the pooch scurrying...
imo
If I were to try something stupid like this, I would run across the tracks and GRAB the dog on the way. No way it would ever occur to me to walk out, STOP, Pick UP the dog, and TOSS it. You only have to go 4 feet. Just grab it on the way past.
Also, if the train is going to hit you, drop to the ground, and hope it isn't dragging anything.
That being the case, one can begin to see how out of place the average civilian will be at night in a railyard...
...and his wife without a husband. You're exactly right. What a senseless loss...
I love cats too - they're great if you cook them right.
At least grandma's only 44. She can help.
He probably wasn't thinking at all. He saw his beloved dog on the tracks and rushed to save him. I recently hit the brakes to save a damn squirrel and the car almost went out of control. It was a reflex on my part. And as an owner of a black lab, those damn dogs have a knack of ending up where they shouldn't be.
"I guess you think he knew he was going to die if he saved the dog and decided to kill himself and leave his pregnant fiancee in order to save the dog."
He knew he was risking his life to save the dog. He made a decision that the dog's life was worth more than his own. Bad decision. His children are now fatherless.
My first thought as well.
My second thought: hopefully someone smarter will come along.
Most people on this thread are expressing just the opposite. It's me who is being the cruel SOB.
And in fact, I disagree with your characterization. I'm suggesting that the dog was never on the tracks in the first place. No eye witnesses are quoted in this article. The call to his brother was something of a cover. I'm saying he made a conscious decision to commit suicide and the grieving are willing to accept the ruse in order to ease their pain.
It wasn't a rail yard though. Four tracks near 2 platforms does not constitute a rail yard.
If it was in a rail yard, I would find the story much more plausible.
My initial reaction as well.
Idiot. The dog probably would take care of itself, anyhow.
"Filtering the gene pool."
Too late. He reproduced. Twice. By different women.
Well gosh. That was dumb.
Sounds like a guy in my area who died trying to save his dog in a canal. Turns out the dog had jumped in a few times before.
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