Playing Chicken with a Train

News.com.au analyzes a series of photos they recently received via email, apparently showing a woman being struck by a train.

They consulted some amateur photo sleuths who theorize that the images (or, at least, the final image of the four) have been photoshopped, pointing out details such as the lack of a shadow under the woman in the final photo.

However, at least one photo expert suggested the images are real. But, to me, the final comment in the article is the most convincing:
"Have a look at the train, there is a blind in the front window meaning it is probably the back end of the train. No driver. The pictures are taken in reverse."
That makes sense to me, although the blind could be down to shield the driver's eyes from the sun. (Someone, a driver perhaps, is visible standing in the window.) But the woman looks like she's lying down on the ground with her feet up in the air, as if posing for the photo.

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Photos

Posted on Tue Aug 14, 2007



Comments

I'd have thought the way the guy on the right seems to be ambling away in total unconcern would suggest a fake of some kind...

In reality, anyone seeing someone sitting on the tracks as the train comes in would at the very least get their phone out in the hopes of trying to video the impact.
Posted by outeast  on  Tue Aug 14, 2007  at  01:49 AM
Without better quality images (aka bigger), it is hard to tell fakes from real photos by the Photoshoping errors (which might be why so many suspect images are only seen in low resolution).

She's too neat in the last shot. I would think someone hit by a train would have their arms and legs all helter skelter as they flew through the air.
Posted by Whatever  on  Tue Aug 14, 2007  at  05:58 AM
Look at the sign on the platform. Look at the fellow on the platform. Look at the distance the train has moved, in comparison to the distance that fellow has moved, in comparison to the distance the woman has moved from the point of impact to the point of rest. The laws of physics ARE NOT at work here in this series of photos. Definite hoaxed/staged photo shoot!
Posted by Christopher  on  Tue Aug 14, 2007  at  06:20 AM
My vote is hoax. The guy is too calm. He knows the train is coming (if real) and sees that the woman isn't getting out of the way fast enough and does not react!? He just walks away? Besides, if the train had hit her, there would be blood on the train and some damage to the train. I don't see any signs of either.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Tue Aug 14, 2007  at  11:51 AM
If she had been hit by the train, she would have flown toward the camera, not away.
Posted by Carl  on  Tue Aug 14, 2007  at  04:58 PM
all aboard
Posted by Hairy Houdini  on  Tue Aug 14, 2007  at  08:25 PM
Hoax
Man at the station is ignoring the horrfying scene befre him and not reacting, the woman has flown the wrong way(she is shooting backwards from the crash), the man is moving faster than the train in the last two photos, and the woman is lying to, peacefully, shall we say.Verdict:hoax hoax and double hoax
Posted by J  on  Wed Aug 15, 2007  at  01:18 AM
Actually, I vote real photos. My guess is that the photos are real but set up by a very slow moving trian. If you look at the 2nd and 3rd pictures, the train looks to go about 15-20 feet. In that time, the man leaving the platform is able to take 2 full steps. So, the accident could have been real and funny to see but would have resulted in no more than a few bruises ( which also explains why she didn't get pushed forwards in the last photo ).
Posted by DJH  on  Wed Aug 15, 2007  at  11:48 AM
i agree, the train probably breaked hard by the time it realised an obstruction, and was slow moving by the time it reached the couple. the guy who probably knows that idiot, is probably telling her to get off the tracks but assumes she would have gotten up as he's already turned round as she's just hoisting herself up. You'll see her realising that the train is moving faster than she's getting off her fat arese, as she makes that silly pose on the 3rd shot which would imply she wasnt fast enough and didnt have a near miss and got nicked on the right shoulder spinning her round and down legs up, by that point even a slow moving train would have passed her by.
Posted by Ericka  on  Thu Aug 16, 2007  at  09:35 AM
Hi Members,
If all of you think these pics of the woman sitting on the tracks are FAKE,,Think again as I am the real owner of these pics that have got here without my Permission!!,These photo's were taken On Sunday the 3/06/07, My brother inlaw & I were up at Sandgate taking photo's of trains inwhich is our hobby,

A Hunter car set was stopping at Sandgate ,another mate of our saw my car and got out also to see what was
happening ???

At the same time of our mate getting off the Hunter set the woman & bloke you see in the pics they got off the
train aswell,Arguing & calling each other names,on the platform,the next thing we spoted her sitting her on the
inner rail on the Main up line,the line to take you the Newcastle from Maitland,
My Brother inlaw, our mate & I called out to her that thetrain will be down shortly,
2:26 :16 pm ,Hunter Car set 2754 / 2704 Between Iron Bark creek bridge & Sandgate Flyover,
2;26 :50pm ,Photo of woman taken sitting on railway tracks while Hunter Car set 2754 / 2704 approaching her.
2:26 : 56pm ,Hunter Car set 2754 / 2704 on top of Sandgate Flyover,
2:27 :30pm , Woman approx 8mtrs off front of Hunter Car set 2754 / 2704 in upright position looking at train.
2:27 :32pm , Woman starts to impact on Hunter Car set 2754 at approx 20 to 30kms before stopping.
2:27 :34pm , Woman thrown upwards on impact as photo taken got her on landing position coming down onto
the Main down side,,,
2:28 :38pm , Photo taken of woman slowly sitting back up holding her right hand side.
2:36 :24pm , Photo taken of Nth west Countrylink Explorer on Coal road after woman created Kaos,
This train was due down instead of the Hunter car set but the Hunter car set took the Countrylink
Explorer's place due to running late off the Nth West line,,,

In all with the times above I have the whole set of photos which go with the times,,

These 4 Only pics are NOT Copyrighted which leeds to have came from WP,as they got the uncopyrighted version,My brother inlaw,My self & wife were told approx 4 weeks ago from Transit Police that they recieved 4 pics from a freind in the PF,,

These pics are not fake an if there are any doubts in which there are ,Please dont Hesitat to Contact Waratah Police station but I ashore they will not comment,

Cheers; P.s,that bloke did not give a shit about her as they were arging etc.
Posted by formleepics  on  Fri Aug 17, 2007  at  06:05 AM
well, if you have other photos to prove what's happening, just put a damn huge watermark on them and upload them here for us, then we might believe you -_^

I agree with all the people who think it's fake, because it just doesn't follow physics at all, and the last two photos look REALLY staged.

Have any of you pretended to do something dumb in a photo shoot? I don't know about anyone else, but I've only gotten the pose in the lower left when pretending to get up or something, and never from life. Also, you don't fly through the air like in the photo at the right, and if trains are powerful enough to smash cars, they're powerful enough to just crush a woman to pulp. I'm sorry, but you don't just fly through the air like a thing made of cement, and that doesn't really even happen when you're hit by a car.

If the train was moving slow enough to not hurt her and only bruise her and knock her over, she still wouldn't lie the way she is in that last photo... besides, she's upside down and standing straight up as if you had just taken a different photo of her and rotated it... it looks obviously faked to me.

Also, why does the previous poster feel the need to tell us right away that she is right, but that the police station won't comment on it... *shrug* it all smells like a hoax to me, and if it's not, the person above is pretty terrible for just taking ophotos as a woman gets hit by a train as opposed to, you know... trying to help her?
Posted by Mera  on  Sat Aug 18, 2007  at  01:24 PM
Hey Mera, I have a set of about 7 pics from when the it happened etc,,,email me on my address and I will send the Full set of the pics,,And yes the train was slowing down as the driver saw my brother inlaw & I and another mate up on the walk bridge,
when she got up an looked at the train coming towards her she was clipped on the the side and spun around then went backwards,,,ARTC,Ambulance,Police arrived !!! Ring the WAratah Local Area Command Officer:- Constable M Ziacos on +610249 266599 or FAX +610249 266611 as he got our interviews etc,But yeh email & I will send you the large so you can see they arnt fcked around with,,,,,,,,,,
Posted by Shane  on  Mon Aug 20, 2007  at  02:45 AM
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