gain on

"gain"という動詞はごくごく基本的な単語の1つだと思いますが、多くの人が“獲得する”という意味で暗記しているのではないでしょうか。

勿論それで間違いではないのですが、"gain on"というフレーズには“近づく、追いつく、次第に接近する”という意味があります。


INDIANAPOLIS — Two women narrowly escaped death during an encounter with a 14,000-ton freight train earlier this month.

In a video released by Tuesday by the Indiana Rail Road Co., the train can be seen heading on July 10 through the Shuffle Creek Trestle, a 500-foot-long, 80-foot-tall bridge over Lake Lemon in Monroe County. Up ahead, the women run along on the bridge.

The engineer saw the pair as the train came around a curve at 30 mph and pulled the emergency brakes. But the slowing train still gained on the women, and they had nowhere to turn.

One woman lies down between the rails. The other follows suit seconds later. The train passes over them.

The two women barely avoided death by lying below the train as it passed over, according to a press release from the company.

The women shown in the video were trespassing on the railroad tracks over Lake Lemon, 10 miles northeast of Bloomington, Fox59 reported.
(Steph Solis. 2 women survive close call with freight train. USA Today. July 30, 2014.)


あわや大惨事の鉄道事故となりかけたところを辛うじて免れたというニュースです。

運転士は線路に人がいることに気がつきブレーキを踏みましたが、減速するものの停止することはできず、徐々に線路上の人に近づいていきます。

最終的には線路の間に伏せることで列車をやり過ごし、事なきを得たということのようです。