On
28 February, 2001, a man named Gary Hart fell asleep at the wheel of
his car. He was extremely tired after staying up all night on the
phone to a lady that he met on the internet. This man had to travel
145 miles or 233km for work at 4:40 in the morning. Because of his
choices he fell asleep while driving and skidded onto the train
tracks at Great Hick, near Selby in North Yorkshire. While he was
phoning the emergency services a high speed passenger train hit his
car. Gary Hart was not injured but the train derailed and smashed into an
oncoming coal train that was heavy with coal. At this, 10 people were
killed and 80 were injured. Not only did a lot of people die and get
injured but the cost of this accident was also very substantial.
If
this man knew what was going to happen because of his fatigue, I
believe that he would not have taken the risk in driving tired; he
could have called a taxi, bus or even a friend.
It
would be very interesting to know the contextual lens of the train
drivers, but unfortunately they did not survive the crash. We do not
know exactly how they viewed the situation.
The
contextual lens of the driver of the car.
The
driver’s contextual lens most likely would be a negative view, but
he may also try to see the good in this situation. He survived the
crash but 10 other people who he doesn't even know died.
Is anybody hurt?
How can I help them?
I thought it was
safe to drive tired.
What is the
punishment going to be? How am I going to live with myself?
Has anybody died?
Why did I do this?
What should I do
now?
The
contextual lens of the victims that survived the crash.
I
could not imagine the victims having a positive attitude, but then
again they could be thinking I survived the crash so I should be
happy.
What is going on?
Am I going to die?
How will my family survive if I do die?
Am I going to be
paralysed?
How did this
happen?
Who is the cause of
this?
Is anyone other
than me hurt?
How can I get out
of this?
Is there anyone
that I can help?
The
contextual lens of the emergencies services that was on the scene.
The
lens of the emergency service would be more on the side of wanting to
help the injured and the dying.
The contextual lens of the friends and
family of all the victims.
The family and friends would be feeling
sad and angry. I don’t think they would be too happy with Gary
Hart after the accident but with time they might forgive him but we
can never know exactly what they are feeling.
Why did he risk driving tired?
Why was he tired?
What is his punishment going to
be?
Why did this happen to my family?
The contextual lens of the general
public.
The public would be a bit confused with
what has just happened and they will also be quite shocked. The crash
might have closed a road that they needed to travel on to get to
their destination so they will be frustrated because of this.
Is anyone I know involved?
Does this involve me?
How does this affect me?
How many people are hurt?
Are any roads near me closed? Do I
need to take another route?
The contextual lens of the Railway
Authority.
The Railway Authority would be so
frustrated and very angry. This man cost them a very large amount of
money.
How fast was the passenger train
going?
How fast was the coal train going?
What was the car doing on the
track?
How did the car derail the train?
The driver of the
car thought he was safe to drive but clearly he wasn't. His thoughts
and actions have consequences not just for him but for the victims of
the crash and their family. This is a horrible accident but in all
this there is a lesson to be learned. If possible do not drive while
you are tired. You are not only risking the safety of yourself but
also that of the public.
References
News.bbc.co.uk,.
'BBC ON THIS DAY | 28 | 2001: At Least 10 Die In Selby Rail Crash'.
N.p., 2015. Web. 27 July 2015.
Wainwright,
Martin. 'Selby Rail Crash Motorist Blames 'Fate''. the
Guardian.
N.p., 2011. Web. 5 Aug. 2015.
