Miss Deaf Texas struck by train, killed

[Edwin MacPhisto]

Courtesy CNN.com:

 

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The reigning Miss Deaf Texas died after being struck by a train, officials said.

 

Tara Rose McAvoy, 18, was walking Monday near railroad tracks when she was struck by a Union Pacific train, authorities said.

 

A witness told Austin television station KTBC the train sounded its horn right up until the accident occurred.

Discuss this hard-hitting (zing) news.

[Black Lushus]

wtf is a deaf person doing out by railroad tracks anyway?

[kkktookmybabyaway]

Maybe she wanted some peace and quiet.

 

Oh, and I'd hit it.

 

+1

[Guest The Satanic Angel]

Rich in ferrous.

[2GOLD]

wtf is a deaf person doing out by railroad tracks anyway?

 

You know this is going to lead to more flashing lights along the tracks.

I smell suicide.

[Angle-plex]

"I think I'll go walk along the railroad tracks today."

[Guest The Satanic Angel]

She WAS blonde.

[The Niggardly King]

Wait, there is a Miss Deaf Texas every year?

[Dogbert]

Oh, and I'd hit it.

 

You've been beaten to it.

[Special K]

No WAY you don't know a train's coming. As a little special k, I used to climb a trellis and watch the train go under. It was a fucking rush. However, you can fucking FEEL a train coming, easily, without the horn. And I don't even have blind Ben Affleck senses. Unless she was climbing along the traintracks, and thought an earthquake was coming, I think it's suicide.

[kkktookmybabyaway]

Oh, and I'd hit it.

 

You've been beaten to it.

 

Too late. I've already beaten to it.

[Sideburnious]

*shakes head*

[The Mandarin]

KKK, you've definitely got my Poster Tournament vote after that. Hilarious.

 

Note: Unfortunately I do not plan on voting.

[Ced]

I guess heightened senses aren't all they're cracked up to be.

 

Honestly, you'd think she would've thought better of walking around railroad tracks with her inability to hear impending doom about to barrel directly into her. It's a coin-flip between suicide and stupidity at this point.

[kkktookmybabyaway]

KKK, you've definitely got my Poster Tournament vote after that.

 

If I die in some freak accident, I pray it's not bad enough to merit getting posted at this place.

[Cran Da Maniac]

She WAS blonde.

 

 

She was trying to determine if they're deer tracks or bear tracks!

[kkktookmybabyaway]

This makes me wonder if there's a Miss Blind or Miss Mute Texas, too. Bring them all together and they might form some uber-super heroine.

 

Well, they'd have to find another Miss Deaf Texas first.

[Cran Da Maniac]

Sadly, she'll never hear the call go out for her.

[Ravenbomb]

at first I thought this thread said Mos Def got hit by a train

[Guest NYankees]

According to aol.com, she was sending text messages on her cellphone when she got hit.

[Guest The Satanic Angel]

Also on CNN.com ...

 

 

Deaf beauty queen was text-messaging when hit by train

By Elizabeth Yuan

CNN

 

 

Wednesday, March 15, 2006; Posted: 4:59 p.m. EST (21:59 GMT)

 

(CNN) -- Deaf beauty contest winner Tara McAvoy was walking along the railroad tracks from her Austin, Texas, home to her mother's workplace, text-messaging family and friends, when a train struck her, according to the Austin Police Department.

 

A Massachusetts-born Texan, who liked to quote "Don't mess with Texas," the 18-year-old was going to represent the Lone Star State at the Miss Deaf America Pageant in Palm Desert, California, this July.

 

It was one of many pageants McAvoy had entered, "both in the hearing community and in the deaf community," said Claire Bugen, superintendent of the Texas School for the Deaf, on Wednesday. McAvoy was a 2005 graduate of the school, where she played sports and acted in theater.

 

"She was a beautiful, bright, young deaf woman," said Bugen.

 

The Austin Police Department received a 911 call from Union-Pacific, which owns the train, at 2:18 p.m. Monday, said Laura Albrecht, spokesperson for the Austin Police Department. (Watch as witnesses describe accident -- 1:33)

 

"Our understanding is that she text-messaged the family, and yes, the family members were going to pick her up," Albrecht added.

 

McAvoy was walking northbound along the railroad ties, with her back to the train as it approached, said Austin Police Department detective David Fugitt. "We have information that she was text-messaging family and friends" at the time, he added.

 

A horn sounded, but "they weren't able to get a response" from her, Fugitt said.

 

"At that point, they activated their emergency braking system, but they weren't able to stop in time."

 

A snowplow -- commonly referred to as "cattle-guards" for pushing items away from the tracks to avoid train damage -- was what struck McAvoy, who was estimated to be "no more than a foot" from the tracks, Fugitt said.

 

"The snowplow extends approximately 16 inches on each side from the train," he said, and was mounted to the front engine of the train.

 

McAvoy died at the scene from "multiple traumatic injuries," Fugitt said.

 

Fugitt said there were witnesses who had heard the horn sound and that the police department was actively seeking anyone who had seen the accident occur.

 

An investigation is under way with Union Pacific and the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office, Fugitt said. He said the Austin Police Department was awaiting information from Union Pacific on how fast the train, with its 24 cars and two engines, was going.

 

McAvoy's funeral is set for Saturday morning in Austin.

 

In addition to her schooling at the Texas School for the Deaf, McAvoy briefly attended the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, which is affiliated with Gallaudet University, in Washington. A profile on its Web site said McAvoy was class president, a cheerleader, on the prom committee and played basketball.

 

"She will be sorely missed," said Laura Loeb-Hill, director of the Miss Deaf Texas Pageant, in an e-mail Wednesday. "Tara represented Texas with dignity and pride."

[The Amazing Rando]

McAvoy was class president, a cheerleader, on the prom committee and played basketball.

 

 

"What should our Prom song be.....oh wait. Nevermind."

 

 

 

Let's hope they didn't choose "Tangled Up In Blue"

[kkktookmybabyaway]

Oh man there are a bunch of things from that article that I can just pounce on, but I've already been insensitive enough for one thread.

[The Amazing Rando]

Yeah. She acted in the theater. I wonder if she did a REALLY GOOD job, people left the performance saying "wow, I really thought she could hear there for a minute"

[Angle-plex]

A snowplow -- commonly referred to as "cattle-guards" for pushing items away from the tracks to avoid train damage -- was what struck McAvoy

 

You gotta hand it to the people who decided to make this. Worked like a charm.

[2GOLD]

Text messaging near a train track? Man, I can hear and even I wouldn't attempt to text message near a train track.

[Guest NYankees]

Is this Darwin Award worthy? It really sucks that she died though, she was only 18 and had so much of her life ahead of her.

[The Amazing Rando]

I'm actually surprised there is a Deaf Beauty Pageant in Texas... there must be a TON of smokin' deaf chicks just walking all over down there.

 

 

I'll bet sexual assualts on the deaf will go up now, because if a TRAIN can sneak up on a girl, a horny thirtysomething in a ski mask and unbuttoned levi's should have no problem at all.

[The Czech Republic]

Rando, I want to kick you in the balls.

[Guest tony manero]

This is pretty sad. I feel for the girl.