Description

This is not our story, but rather the story of a tragedy that should not have happened. In his own words:

We met and spoke briefly this past Thursday night at the Lower
Merion SEPTA meeting. As I explained my oldest son Brian Breskman was
mortally electrocuted while crossing the Rt. 100 line on May 26th, 2007. He
was a 19 years old, he graduated from the Episcopal Academy had just
finished his freshman year at Penn State, main Campus. Brian had a life full
of promise ahead of him. He died tragically and brutally on the Route 100
line. This was a horrible accident and has forever affected me and my
family.

The purpose of my letter is to bring awareness to the lethal dangers that
exist on the Rt. 100 trolley line that runs from 69th street to Norristown.
The safety conditions along this track are deadly. This is not an exaggerated term this is not a nuisance e mail. I am a concerned citizen/parent and needs SEPTA to recognize that more people will die on this track if safety measures are not taken. I wish to point out the relevance of my claim. I will e mail you a link to my on line photos of the Rosemont Rt. 100
trolley stop when you receive this link it is from me and has the below jpg
images. Pay particular attention to the following jpg photos:

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/re...
1. Picture 18
a. This is a typical section of the Rt. 100 line. The two interior
raised rails are electric conductors. If one touched any part of underside
rail "they will die"!
b. Note that there is no fencing, light or warning signs anywhere near
these rails.

2. Picture 58
a. The 1 lone warning sign is 18 feet high, faded with 30 font
lettering.
b. This warning sign is not visible at night.

3. Picture 47
a. Note the easy access from the Rosemont station to the tracks.
b. Pedestrians cross these electrified tracks all the time. This is
typical for most of the Rt. 100 trolley stops.

4. Picture 50
a. The 69th street sign sits in between the two electrified rails.
b. Pedestrians step over these rails with escalating frequency.

The XL attached is a list of reported train stops on
the rt. 100 line from Jan. 2003 to May 11, 2007. Note the increasing
frequency of the stops as the year's progress. On Thursday during the
presentation SEPTA reported not less than 20% yearly increases in rider ship
during each of the last 3 years. With transportation costs surging coupled
with several universities with increasing population the Rt. 100 line will
continue to increase in ridership.
My concern is so vividly obvious, and the
danger is so great and imminent that I believe immediate action needs to be
taken to correct this safety hazard. I have been in manufacturing during my
entire 26 year career and am very familiar with OSHA standard 29CFR
regarding electrical safety. Before the Lower Merion meeting started I asked
Mr. Burnfield, Septa CFO what track safety standards SEPTA is held to? He
answered that Septa has there own set of railroad standards and does not
comply with OSHA standards. From my perspective and first hand observation
of the condition of the Rt. 100 line is a death trap and is deplorable and
needs immediate safety review the hazard is so obvious that there is no
arguable recourse to this deadly danger. I implore you to think deeply of my
first hand observation and tragedy. Please help me in generating awareness
to this major safety issue. Another death on this track would be awful, it
is too late for me but to have this happen to another family would be so
tragic. I hope that you will help in commencing a through safety review of
the Rt. 100 line. Please give special consideration to my plea. I can be
reached anytime and hope to hear from you soon.


Sincerely,