Cathy Allred

Walt Webster has seen three fatalities during his tenure as a train engineer for the Pacific Union Railroad. The last death by train incident he can recall vividly.

The Bountiful resident has given more than 2,400 presentations on train crossing safety and has assisted in six Operation Lifesaver runs in 12 years.

A nonprofit international public education program, Operation Lifesaver's goal is to end collisions, deaths and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and along railroad rights-of-way. It is a program that is sponsored cooperatively by federal, state and local government agencies.

It's a program Webster firmly believes in because when there is a crash, a fatality, the victim's friends and family are not the only ones affected.

"It's very traumatic for the train crew, even though as in this case, you've got someone using the train as an instrument for committing suicide," Webster said. "You can't get that thought out of your head, the sound of the train going over (the body). The 'thunk' is pretty disgusting too."

His first and second fatalities he experienced as a train engineer occurred several years ago and involved an 18-year-old, and then a 25-year-old. His last fatality experience happened in 2006 and was a suicide.

"That one bothered me a whole lot more than the others," Webster said. "I don't know why. Something building up inside or it was just respect for human life."

Webster knew something wasn't right as his train approached a man standing by the track in Wendover.

"He was looking down instead of up and so I knew that he had something in mind that was not a healthy thing," he said. "He timed it so he was run over right in midsection and I didn't look back ... I didn't want to have that memory."

Webster stopped the train, but the empty coal train was going 55 mph and couldn't come to a complete stop until more than 1,500 feet after the pedestrian dove in front of the train.

Incidents of death by train and vehicle crashes are actually higher than death involving crashes between two vehicles. Every two hours a pedestrian or vehicle is involved in a collision with a train.

Since the program Operation Lifesaver began in 1972, the number of crash incidents involving trains and people have dropped significantly.

"That's more proof that these types of programs are working," said Rick Thornton, senior special agent and public safety officer for Union Pacific. "We've stepped up the activity in the last few years, so we have seen a reduction."

Ninety-one incidents were recorded in 1978 in Utah and today the average is less than 20, 15 for 2007 with zero deaths involving a train.

Thornton gave out four citations and one trespass warning while in Provo during Tuesday's ride.

"The more citations that we issue, they are going to talk to their friends, they are going to talk their neighbors, they are going to talk to people at work, they are going to talk everybody in their family and tell them what happened when they received a citation," Thornton said. "So it's a goal of ours is to put the word out so that when somebody else goes to run a crossing and they see that they say, 'Oh no, I know what is going to happen.' I think it's very effective."

He said it also helps the police officers understand the problem areas.

"It lets local law enforcement know that they have other areas that they can pay attention to when they have the time," Thornton said.