Comeback kid -- Pediatrics, Christmas, Metra

I am sick of hearing the pathetic story of Rachel Barton. Let's look at the real issues here:
1. If the violin is stuck in the doors of a train, let it go, don't let it drag you onto the tracks.
2. Taking $30M+ taxpayer dollars when it was truly a self caused accident epitimizes the epidemic of lawsuits in the United States today.
3. Accept your injuries, don't be whining about them 13 years later. There are hundreds of soldiers from Iraq who have lost limbs defending our country who amazingly recover in less than a year.
Step up to your own mistakes and please stop complaining.

You're a true inspiration Rachel. Please don't ever give up the fight back!

I can't imagine what it is like to suffer from such a terrible injury and to attempt to cast blame is a moot point, but it was difficult to keep reading Rachel's constantly negative thoughts and comments. Many people endure harsh medical procedures for which they do not have adequate funds. She has was able to win a lawsuit that helped with all of the funding - isn't that the point of a lawsuit - to try to get money to make you whole (monetarily) again? Well, she receive more than what she needed and she has the ability to make calculated decisions re:her finances to ensure she has funds for all of her medical expenses in the future. How fortunate! I don't think that I read anywhere in the article a comment like 'Gosh, other people have suffered similar injuries and have never been able to walk, but I'm thatnkful that I can.' No mention of the fact that she's lucky to be alive and to be doing the most important thing to her, to her soul, to the definition of her, to the completion of her character - playing the violin!

Rachel - if you happen to be reading this - I'm a music lover, but a much less accomplished musician than yourself; I saw you in concert before your accident, but I had no idea that all this had happened. I'll keep it short, but I'm deeply inspired by you and your work and I hope to get to hear you play again soon. Your playing is most beautiful and I have a great respect for you. Keep fighting. Don't pay any attention to this ignorant bonehead a few posts above me. He's probably never done anything meaningful in his life, unlike yourself. Keep on going - you're beautiful. With all respect, your husband is a great and lucky man - I hope he gets to hear you practice.

One more point - the courts don't give you money you don't deserve. It doesn't work that way. Usually you get less than you deserve, or nothing. These people are just inappropriately jealous and greedy. Keep doing your thing. Please. What you and others do is what makes life worth living for the rest of us - and hopefully for you. All the best.

Call me a bonehead but wrote:

I am sick of hearing the pathetic story of Rachel Barton. Let's look at the real issues here:
1. If the violin is stuck in the doors of a train, let it go, don't let it drag you onto the tracks.
2. Taking $30M+ taxpayer dollars when it was truly a self caused accident epitimizes the epidemic of lawsuits in the United States today.
3. Accept your injuries, don't be whining about them 13 years later. There are hundreds of soldiers from Iraq who have lost limbs defending our country who amazingly recover in less than a year.
Step up to your own mistakes and please stop complaining.

I won't call you a bonehead. I think you miss the point of the story. A 20 year old obviously made a mistake not letting go of the belongings. I did some stupid things that age that, but for the grace of God, would have killed me or a pal. Way more stupid than protecting a valuable violin.

Rachel is a gifted artist who suddenly faced some huge obstacles. After a four year trial a jury of her peers awarded damages, which do not make her whole. The story is a glimpse of how that artist has managed to keep playing in spite of the setbacks, and also restored her rocky family relationships.

She was not injured in Iraq, but injuries like her's still cause pain and suffering. I've broken an ankle, and I'm patient about what you call "complaining". It's a free country. She's free to speak out about her injuries. If I don't want to listen to it, I'm free to stop reading and move on to something else.

For me, I'm glad she shared her story, and I respect how she's carried on with the added burden. It shows me she has some character, and she's making a lot of a difficult situation. Her husband also sounds like an awesome person. God be with them both.

Call me a bonehead but wrote:

I am sick of hearing the pathetic story of Rachel Barton. Let's look at the real issues here:
1. If the violin is stuck in the doors of a train, let it go, don't let it drag you onto the tracks.
2. Taking $30M+ taxpayer dollars when it was truly a self caused accident epitimizes the epidemic of lawsuits in the United States today.
3. Accept your injuries, don't be whining about them 13 years later. There are hundreds of soldiers from Iraq who have lost limbs defending our country who amazingly recover in less than a year.
Step up to your own mistakes and please stop complaining.

You obviously have trouble with reading comprehension because it appears you do not understand the description of what transpired during the accident.

She needs to meet the soldiers who have lost limbs and their best friends in the war. You don't see anyone giving them a 15 million dollar settlement, and you don't see them complaining. Or she should meet the children who have had limbs blown off from minefields. She has money, she has talent, she has a husband who loves and supports her... what more could she ask for? I understand her ambition and desire to be a top violinist in the world, but she should realize that it is not going to be handed to her. Do I feel sorry for her? Yes. But really... she is able, obviously, to help her own cause and get on with life. There are worse things in life. I feel no joy in her from this interview. I only feel her self pity shining through. i can't understand it.

Call me a bonehead but wrote:

I am sick of hearing the pathetic story of Rachel Barton. Let's look at the real issues here:
1. If the violin is stuck in the doors of a train, let it go, don't let it drag you onto the tracks.
2. Taking $30M+ taxpayer dollars when it was truly a self caused accident epitimizes the epidemic of lawsuits in the United States today.
3. Accept your injuries, don't be whining about them 13 years later. There are hundreds of soldiers from Iraq who have lost limbs defending our country who amazingly recover in less than a year.
Step up to your own mistakes and please stop complaining.

Unfortunately, there also are many injured war veterans who do NOT recover in a year's time. Some never get over the physical and/or emotional trauma. So, what's your point, Mr. Bonehead?

What an amazing, brave woman. I had no idea she was dealing with so many obstacles and so much pain. She always has that amazing beautiful smile and enthusiasm, so eager to share her love of music with others. God bless her; she is a true Profile in Courage.

Such a beautifully written tragic story. A testament to the need for quality print journalism.

Chad wrote:

One more point - the courts don't give you money you don't deserve. It doesn't work that way. Usually you get less than you deserve, or nothing. These people are just inappropriately jealous and greedy. Keep doing your thing. Please. What you and others do is what makes life worth living for the rest of us - and hopefully for you. All the best.

Chad - You're wrong!...and rachel barton's settlement proves you wrong. People get money and lots of it! Rachel barton's case was the first of it's kind. Illinois had never awarded anyone, for similar claims, such a huge settlement prior to RB's case! Her case set the precedent of monetary awards here in Illinois for various claims!!!!!! The moneys won from a lawsuit are to make you economically whole again. If you only made $30K annually, then you should only be getting that amount, plus your medical expenses and other medical needs paid for and that's really it. But for some reason, RB was awarded MUCH more! That's a fact - like it or not. It's not to make you rich. It's not the Lotto. And I'm just addressing the tangible damages and not the punitive damages or the non-economic damages.

Pretty amazing how someone came so close to death and acknowledges that fact, but still tends to dwell on the negatives of life. I cannot believe that she and her sister haven't spoken in years?!?!...makes me think that she doesn't appreciate her life. Her mother's comment, I imagine ,'...the train hit all of us' is probably the best descriptive comment made regarding the hardships the entire family endured after Rachel's accident. But, I don't see Rachel acknowledging the magnitude of the impact on her sisters or her family. Doesn't sound like she ever thanked her mother or her sisters. I wonder if she ever even shared a dime with her mother or sister from her court awards...not that that really matters - just a thought? She seems a little emotionally immature. But that could be from not having a 'normal' upbringing being a musical prodigy. Maybe it would benefit her to get some psychological therapy along with her physical therapy.....everyone can benefit from therapy! Good luck, Rachel. Hope you're better able to see the positives that life has to offer soon.

For all of you knuckleheads and boneheads out there, Rachel Barton did not ask for this story to be written, and like most victims of horrific traumas that linger throughout life, would have rather not discussed the accident and focused instead on her work and her foundation--a foundation which, if anyone bothered, is amazingly well-intentioned and dynamic in scope. For some of you to arrogantly conjure such stories as dismissive of others' injuries is to ignore the heart of an individual who struggles with adversity. Some of you have written how she seems emotionally immature. Well, watching Oprah does NOT make you even remotely a psychologist, and those comments show just how few human interest stories you actually read. Everyone relates differently to events in their life, and your blasé attitude reflects it. The article touches on her family relationships and the pain she had with her siblings. We are not privy to an in-depth account of what happened; suffice it to say there are some serious things that happened in that family before that tragedy and afterward. Unless you're a registered family counselor and know this family in-depth: keep your asinine, judgmental comments to yourself.

This is just a story about one amazing person's life.

Mr. Salm, thank you for your articulate commentary. I remember hearing the same type of boneheaded remarks when the accident first happened. And the pseudo-psychologists who chose to parade their ignorance by commenting on this blog are the ones who seem emotionally immature.

inspirational article touching my emotions, occasionally squeezing them...comments thought-provoking, ranging from rachel barton pine's to be praised as an inspiration for us to what a despicable whiner rachel barton pine is...truly mr. reich led his readers on a journey which only he had mapquest available...(what was left out of the story which can be found on his notes or his recorder might enable us to better appreciate rbp and gp's journey). mr. reich has led me, perhaps for the first time, to send a comment and also to e-mail the article to myself to think about it some more (which may not be a bad idea for all who read this story) ..maybe then, i'll have something insightful to share with the readers. i hope i'll have gained from the story...so thanx, mr. reich, for the manner you wrote this story and the readers who commented on it. my thoughts are with the bartons and pines as they travel on their journey.

During the trial, Metra was found to have committed many safety violations. Prior to this, there were numerous other near misses of accidents, sometimes involving adults trying to get their children off the train safely. Simple, routine,engineer "all clear" checks would have prevented this accident and are routine in other transit systems. And read the story, she was unable to let go,because the staps were all bound and twisted against her arm pinning it to the train.She couldn't let go. I remember well the day this happened and have always been stunned that Rachel was blamed for it. Metra was cutting corners on normal safety procedures that had already caused numerous official complaints from other passengers who had been placed in danger.
Best of luck to you in continuing your career, Rachel.

The only thing that made me even sicker to heart than finding out that even now 13 years later Rachel's physical injuries are still not healed, was opening up and readng this comments section and seeing the most truly ugly vicious stupid reprehensible comments ever uttered by some really sub-human examples of two legged walking slime bags.

I really hope that Rachel and all that care about her are smart enough to AVOID reading these comments.

I have ridden many trains and constantly see people still trying to get off after a check has been made. She made a terrible mistake that day and she needs to recognize that. We all have to live with our mistakes. Not many of us get 30M to get over it.

It's interesting that they didn't ask Mr. Fogel why the Chicago Symphony won't hire her. It's because she's a boring violinist. It's also because of her attitude and that of her husband. They are bitter, angry, not nice people. No one wants to work with them. I think that came through in the article. Has anyone ever heard someone so negative? Would you want to work with someone like that?

What happened to her was a tragedy. But she and her husband have milked this pity party for all its worth.

Don't we all wish we had a $15m fund to fall back on?

If she didn't want the story published she could have refused the interview.

She lives in a "modest 3 bedroom apartment downtown?" We all should be so lucky.

The relations with her various family tell the story. Why kind of person in agony from a terrible accident tells the hospital not to admit her father to her room? What kind of person after everything she has been through doesn't permit her own mother and sisters to attend her wedding?

These are some very messed up people. They need to be in therapy and carrying it out in a public forum is disgusting.