How did she get up there? More news as updates come in…
[quote]A southbound bullet train heading from Taipei to Kaohsiung was delayed by 15 minutes Tuesday after hitting a goat that had inexplicably found its way onto the high-speed rail’s tracks, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) said.
No damage or casualties were reported in the accident except for a minor injury suffered by the animal, said company spokesman Chang Yung-hsiung.
The accident took place at 4:03 p.m. near the line’s 103-kilometer mark in Miaoli County’s Zaociao township, when the train driver discovered that it had hit an “alien object,” which was later found to be a goat, Chang said.
…which adds even more questions to the issue. One thinks that if the train was at running at least at 200 kms, then the goat should have been crushed like a bug on a windshield. You have a personal encounter betwen a moving vehicle and a living thing, and while truly a deer is heavier, a car is also speeding. I remember once in Florida this bunch of rabbits decided to cross the road while we were going going at average highway speed. You felt the bump. What did people feel at the moment of the crash? Or was the operator able to brake in time? That impies there was some kind of warning. Do they have any kind of sensor for such dangerous invasions in the track? What is someone attempts suicide, but instead of MRT, tries HSR?
Really, if the goat came out with only a broken foot, it is either a very fast or a very lucky goat.
The most cursory of phone calls reveals that the goat of course wasn’t “on the tracks” but merely on the carriageway and yes of course – its a fucking GOAT, after all – jumped “almost” clear, as goats tend to do. So it caught a very minor glancing blow that injured its foot. As for how it got up there? Again, its a GOAT! They can climb. Very well. Jesus! The press here! Incompetence is the word that springs to mind, but its nowhere NEAR strong enough.
Icon, you’ve been in the job long enough. How IS it that you still read this crap and actually believe it might have some credence? I don’t understand.
[quote=“sandman”]The most cursory of phone calls reveals that the goat of course wasn’t “on the tracks” but merely on the carriageway and yes of course – its a fucking GOAT, after all – jumped “almost” clear, as goats tend to do. So it caught a very minor glancing blow that injured its foot. As for how it got up there? Again, its a GOAT! They can climb. Very well. Jesus! The press here! Incompetence is the word that springs to mind, but its nowhere NEAR strong enough.
Icon, you’ve been in the job long enough. How IS it that you still read this crap and actually believe it might have some credence? I don’t understand.[/quote]
Oh, I know that in the mist there is some light, somewhere. It points you at least in the general direction of where you might find some info. Also, I haven’t found much on local TV or papers. Poor thing didn’t make Apple Daily!
Makes sense that the goat could be hit and not injured much. I hit a deer once with my car and he escaped injuries. Basically he ran straight out and at the last minute saw what he was going to do and turned. Instead of getting hit by the front end, he bounced off the side of my door.
Hit a wallaby once head on and he didn’t make it so well.
And then there was that ptarmigan. And bear cub. And squirrel…
(sorry couldn’t resist)