Sunday Morning Stupid

'Ghost train' hunter killed by train in North Carolina

(CNN) -- The facts: On August 27, 1891, a passenger train jumped the tracks on a tall bridge near Statesville, North Carolina, sending seven rail cars below and about 30 people to their deaths.

The legend: On the wreck's anniversary, the sounds of screeching wheels, screaming passengers and a horrific crash might still be heard. You might also see a uniformed man with a gold watch.

Apparently on the anniversary of the crash, a group of folks thought it would be a neat idea to hang around on the bridge and wait for the "ghost train". They were trespassing on train company property, but the bigger problem was that no one thought to consult the real train schedule:

Instead, a real Norfolk-Southern train -- three engines and one car -- turned the corner as it headed east to Statesville, about 35 miles north of Charlotte, authorities said.

One person was struck and killed by the real train, and another was injured when she was pushed off the bridge in an attempt to save her. While it's a shame that someone lost their life over something as trivial as trying to catch a glimpse of a "ghost train", it's even more shocking that no one in the entire group thought to check on the possibility that a real train might be coming through. To be standing on a high railroad bridge in the middle of nowhere without checking whether any actual trains were coming by, though, is positively Darwinian...

Okay, I'm done railing about this one...

That is all.