Kent cyclist hospitalised after riding across live rail

At least he doesn't need to walk far to get his bike spotwelded back together .. and he's lucky he didn't have an e-bike ... there'd have been an explosion. No doubt the keystone cops were quickly on the scene ... apparently there was a conductor on the rail ... he should have been on the train. 

he was only trying to recharge his ebike

I grew up in the SE in the early 80's and in those days British Rail employees visited schools and treated us to a number of public information films about the dangers of the third rail.  The films didn't show anthying gruesome but the sense of doom they built up and the smoking remains of a toy  or similar that they ended with were enough to keep me away from the third rail.  That photo of the bike brought back memories

I grew up in the SE in the early 80's and in those days British Rail employees visited schools and treated us to a number of public information films about the dangers of the third rail.  The films didn't show anthying gruesome but the sense of doom they built up and the smoking remains of a toy  or similar that they ended with were enough to keep me away from the third rail.  That photo of the bike brought back memories

I guess they took him away in an amperelance? 

What an idiot, no we don't need more signs just need to stop people being stupid and if we can't we need to minimise the impact they have on the rest of us.

Not good for the cyclist, he might be lucky still to have fingers left.  I'm sure he will be scarred for life, mentally if not physically if lady luck really was on his side.  

If he was cycling where he shouldn't have been so I also hope others learn from him and his example.  

So there's a highly electrified rail just 'out there'? Are there fences? Are there warning signs? Did the cyclist climb a fence? Do we know why they were crossing there?

(edit: I've just read the Kent online link mungecrundle put there; might have been useful to put all that information in the road.cc article.  Those of us outside London and the south east forget that so many railways *are* electrified there)

I enjoy a bit of off colour, Darwin award humour at the expense of stupidity, but I'd ask you to look again at the picture of the bike wreckage, especially the handlebars and give some thought to the types of injury this poor sod is waking up to this morning.

Edit

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/disruption-after-motorbike-fi...

Apparently not even stupidity, but ignorance.

[Insert gag about train-ing for track racing here]

I wonder what his peak wattage on the ride was?

Ow!

Does anyone know if he was in violation of Southeastern cycle policy? Seems to be dependent on where he started his ride:

South Eastern website wrote:

Cycles permitted if travelling from Gillingham (Kent), Otford & Tonbridge, away from London. Cycles also permitted if your journey starts in Kent or East Sussex and terminates anywhere before the stations named above, subject to space.

Ohm my gosh! Guess he was training to power.

I'll get my coat.

Should have stuck to a Wattbike, he's gone through a total transformation, his power was a bit less than the current average bright spark.

This could spark a safety debate.

This is a very shocking story

Must have thought it was the current thing to do...

Wonder what voltage carbon rims are good for