Caltrain is a speedy alternative to driving in the San Jose-San Francisco corridor, but long stretches of track use old-fashioned railroad crossings on the densely populated Peninsula. (Building over- and under-crossings would cost many millions of dollars, and cash-strapped Caltrain has many demands on its budget, like replacing its aging fleet.) We are sadly accustomed to reading about Caltrain-caused deaths related to stalled cars, kids playing on tracks, and inebriated pedestrians.
Mr. Salvatierra did not appear to fit any of the profiles, until this morning's announcement:
The PayPal executive killed on the Caltrain tracks suffered from depression and bipolar II disorder, his family said Monday...."In the past eight months, Eric and Meredith worked tirelessly with mental health professionals to get him through his illness," the family's statement said. "In the end, he lost his fight with this debilitating disease."In recent years there has been a rash of teen suicides associated with Caltrain. Mental illness, like physically debilitating diseases, affects not only the sufferer but those who love them. Too often the ending is tragic. The family has asked that donations be made in Eric's name to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. (NAMI has two out of four stars on Charity Navigator.)
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