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Last week I was in Northern Arizona shooting BNSF and the Grand Canyon Railway along with two well-known, experienced photographers from Canada. During our second day of shooting, on the edge of a winter storm moving through the area, one of my fellow photographers set up camera and tripod well away from the tracks and took a few steps on a muddy hill to remove an offensive-looking weed from his field of view. He slipped and fell, with his elbow landing on a rock. After shooting three more trains, we determined that the injured elbow was looking quite serious, so we stabilized his left arm in the back seat of our rented 4x4 and drove 72 miles in a blizzard to the nearest hospital. He was x-rayed and immediately sent to surgery, where six pins and a steel plate were inserted to reset the badly broken bones. He spent two nights in the hospital (and missed the follwing day of stellar photography, with fresh snow and sun). Thanks to good insurance and a good hospital, the whole episode has a happy ending. I wanted to pass this along to readers of this list because everyone who reads this could have been the "victim" of this accident. We spend lots of time in out-of-the-way places pursuing great photographs. When packing the car and camera gear for a railfan outing, do you ever include even the most basic first aid essentials? In this day and age, I would also include a cellular telephone among essential items, particularly if you are traveling alone. When you are away from "home turf" it is also a good idea to check maps of the area and have an idea of where the nearest hospital or urgent care clinic might be, "just in case." This little incident in Arizona illustrates a number of safety issues for the traveling railfan photographer. First on the list: Be Prepared! --Dave Busse Diamond Bar, Calif. ======================================================= -> SPORRS: 'Serious Photographers Of Railroad Related Subjects' -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs/ -> Message © 1998 SPORRS® - All Rights Reserved =======================================================
