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Status:
"Let this year be over..."
(set 25 days ago)
Location: Where my bills arrive
19,221 posts, read 17,102,322 times
Reputation: 15538
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As one who deals with at grade crossings everyday I know the lights are flashing a good 10 seconds before the gates come down. My perception is that the driver tried to run the gates and get caught between probably panicking. What I can't comprehend is why anyone would stop, get out and look for damage while caught between the crossing gates??
Of course when I was growing up the Valley Cottage School Bus accident occurred in72 in the next town so maybe I just have a greater respect for RR Crossings.
She needs to be charged for involuntary manslaughter. Idiot like her she be stripped of her drivers license for good. She taken a chance trying to beat the train or she's too stupid or didn't notice a train is coming.
As one who deals with at grade crossings everyday I know the lights are flashing a good 10 seconds before the gates come down. My perception is that the driver tried to run the gates and get caught between probably panicking. What I can't comprehend is why anyone would stop, get out and look for damage while caught between the crossing gates??
Of course when I was growing up the Valley Cottage School Bus accident occurred in72 in the next town so maybe I just have a greater respect for RR Crossings.
The guy in the car behind her backed up and was gesturing to her to back her car up and off the tracks. She looked at him, got back in her car, put on her seat belt and drove forward and..... SPLAT
Regarding the vehicle, if Mrs. Brody was not as familiar with it, that could definitely be a reason as to why the vehicle could have been in the incorrect gear. That series ML does not have a traditional gear selector on the console with a PRNDL or some variant; rather, it has a steering column mounted selector where up is R, down is D and the vehicle selects the requisite gears. When hurriedly attempting to move the vehicle, someone unfamiliar with that type of selector could put it into the wrong gear. I know that my cousin had great difficulty with our Mercedes that has that type of gear selector, as I would not call it a shifter because the computer makes decisions based upon which direction the driver wants the car to travel. Luckily, when my cousin borrowed our car, she was aware of this issue, and took her time to ensure it was in the proper gear before moving. Had Mrs. Brody previously driven a traditional automatic, that is another possibility as to why the vehicle traveled towards the train, rather than away from it.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
But the issue with the track dislodging into the train really makes one wonder about Metro North and the priorities of our government. The taxpayers of Westchester, the most heavily taxed people in the country and the people who pay much more into the federal government than they get out deserve a 1st class modern rail system to get to work. Blumenthal and Schumer can shake their heads and express sorrow until the cows come home but until they get some real federal money committed to upgrading our local rail, they are utterly useless.
What is the problem with the 3rd rail that more funding could have solved? I believe this rail system is fine - as long as they do the proper maintenance of it. Fault MTA all you want for that - and I'll be right behind you. I take it every day and can vouch that they have lost their mojo in the last 2 years. But that doesn't seem to be what's in play in this incident.
Just a question - am I the only one thinking she committed suicide? Everything I've read so far makes it sound like she was a victim and made a mistake. Umm she drove forward, not backward ONTO the tracks. AFTER the arm came down on her car to stop her.
People forget that no matter what a family/relationship looks like on the outside, you truly have no clue what day to day pressures folks are dealing with.
A couple of people on the thread about this in the NYC forum mused about suicide, but it seems unlikely. Why would she get out of the car to check for damage and try to see if the gate would move if she was about to kill herself and destroy her vehicle anyway? And when she got back in, she seemed to be taking a moment to fasten her seatbelt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SulfurDog
And am I the only one thinking that she possibly panicked and shifted into the wrong gear?
No, quite a few others said the same thing. It's a possibility. The only thing that's puzzling is that she took her sweet time getting out of the car, looking at the vehicle and the gate arm, looking at Rick Hope, getting back in and maybe fastening her seat belt...and THEN she suddenly panics?
Quote:
Originally Posted by beer belly
I'm thinking with traffic behind her, she felt that forward was her only chance....just too slow
Her best choice would have been either to back up--and Rick Hope was backing up and waving to her to do the same--but she should have just stayed where she was. She wasn't yet on the tracks when she stopped. I think she thought she could beat the train.
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