General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Progressive journalist Eric Boehlert dies in bike accident - great loss [View all]Effete Snob
(8,387 posts)First, it is really stupid to murder someone using a mechanism which will trigger an NTSB investigation - as is the case with rail deaths.
Since you ride a bicycle, then you know that railroad crossings frequently present unique challenges particularly where, as here, it was wet that evening. A lot of rail crossings are not perpendicular to the road, are uneven, slick, etc.. One does not need to be "pushed into a train". If, for some reason, such as making an unexpected stop at a rail crossing due to the gate coming down or whatever, you fall down, then the fall itself can injure you to the point where subsequently getting out of the way is difficult.
One does not need to "collide with a train". One merely needs to take a tumble on or near train tracks. Land in a way that you are injured or knocked out (as I have been by cycling accidents), and the train will come finish you off. Taking a fall can disorient you.
Third, your experience of riding a bike has nothing to do with his. As far as it being 9:40 PM on that route, I would trust that his wife would know if that was unusual for him. Apparently, his wife, who knows a fuckload more about him than you do, doesn't find that aspect to be at all unusual.
There are plenty of unsolved shooting deaths in this area. If you want to kill someone, you point a gun at their head and pull the trigger, which is a fuckload simpler than trying to stage a bicycling/train accident. How the hell would anyone even do that?
Reference point: There have been 106 fatal shootings in Philadelphia this year. There are 22 with any court cases as a result.