Mr. Jackson:
Sounds like you saved three lives that day! Every one should be grateful, including UPRR. And I imagine the crew, too. I, for one, commend your quick action. I also hope that the fool and the youngsters have learned a healthy respect for railroads.

While I've not been in the cab on a fatal, I have been on a couple of near misses -- bad enough.

I did see an incident happen many years ago whilst in high school: the North Coast Limited hit a car at about 80mph... wasn't much left of the car or its occupants save a bale of metal under a parked box car. With a dead hand sticking out.

We all make mistakes, but we, as railfans, need especially to remember that trains are amazingly quiet and can appear anywhere anytime on any track. I don't mind reminding people of this.