NYC - 'Numerous' fatalities in train collision, fire

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It would be pretty dark. And you are right the lights should be flashing quite brightly.
 
Rick Hope was in the car directly behind Mrs Brody and said he backed up, thinking she would reverse. But instead, she drove straight ahead and was hit by the passing train.
'It looks like where she stopped she did not want to go on the tracks but the proximity of the gate to her car, you know, it was dark - maybe she didn't know she was in front of the gate,' Mr Hope said.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...sed-fiery-train-crash-killed-five-others.html

I think after a long day of work, driving in an unfamiliar area, with car headlights glaring behind her, new car worry, etc......She made a wrong/confused/ fatal choice.JMO
 
IndianSummer said:
Rick Hope was in the car directly behind Mrs Brody and said he backed up, thinking she would reverse. But instead, she drove straight ahead and was hit by the passing train.
'It looks like where she stopped she did not want to go on the tracks but the proximity of the gate to her car, you know, it was dark - maybe she didn't know she was in front of the gate,' Mr Hope said.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...sed-fiery-train-crash-killed-five-others.html

I think after a long day of work, driving in an unfamiliar area, with car headlights glaring behind her, new car worry, etc......She made a wrong/confused/ fatal choice ...period. JMO
Click to expand...

Me too. I think she thought she had more time and she was just not sure what to do and afraid to back up with the bar down there and chose the wrong thing. If she only would not have gotten back in.
 
Right. If you read the comments below the article ....it lays out the possible chain of events:

1. She was already stopped when the lights came on.
2. She didn't stop ''on'' the track.
She stopped just on the edge of the tracks.
If she was on the tracks the gate would not have hit her car.
3. She wasn't racing to beat the train because she was already stopped in traffic and had plenty of time to move if she was in such a rush.
The big mistake she made was pulling the car forward at the last second.
Why we will never know for sure.
She made a mistake.
Not carelessness, No entitlement.
Just a mistake with very tragic results.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...n-crash-killed-five-others.html#ixzz3RIlDpYuG
 
I think that people always want to blame someone but there are events like this that are just truly bad happenstance.
 
ScarlettScarpetta said:
I think that people always want to blame someone but there are events like this that are just truly bad happenstance.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and people will of course point out that there was fault due to the bad split-second decisions made, but no one has ever said an accident is completely without volitional action. The only thing that is totally without fault is a natural disaster. Accidents always involve decisions that in hindsight can be named as causes, but that doesn't change the fact that they are unintended and often the result of confused, quick choices that are unavoidable in life. People misjudge - sometimes we never know why or what exactly went awry. And these split-second mistakes can often have more horrific consequences than deliberate acts. It's scary but it's life.
 
2557B4EB00000578-2940537-image-a-6_1423122759002.jpg


From Feb 5 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...n-crash-killed-five-others.html#ixzz3RIlDpYuG

Another angle. Appears both gate-arms are down.
 
Imo, there's not enough room for SUV to sit in front of gate arm (or w gate arm touching back) and to avoid getting hit by train.
IDK if it made any diff whether she left car 'in place' or pulled forward.

If 'car' icon's scale is accurate, looks like, by the point where SUV had gate-arm behind it or touching SUV's rear,
wouldn't front bumper already be overhanging track of oncoming train?
Imo, once SUV was in 'front' of gate-arm, or w gate-arm touching SUV's rear, SUV would already be in train's path,
just sitting still, it would have been hit by train - even if driver had not pulled forward? JM2cts.

From wiki, Metro North info:
Track gauge = measurement from one inner rail to other inner rail =. 4' 8"
Train cars width = .............................................................. = ~ 10' 6"
Pair of tracks appears to be, imo, .............................................= ~ 5'- 6' apart
Per wiki, Mercedes length: small = 174"/ ~14 1/2' or larger = 200"/ ~ 17 1/2'
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Repeating part of earlier post.
From Feb 4, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...rth-crash.html More info & images at link.

"1The Harlem line train was heading north on the westerly of the two electrified tracks. On Commerce Street, traffic was moving slowly approaching the light at the parkway.
2 As the train approached Commerce Street, the gates came down, catching the S.U.V. between the tracks and the gates. A witness said the S.U.V. moved forward just as the train arrived around 6:30 p.m.

3The train pushed the S.U.V. a full train length down the track. Fuel from the S.U.V.’s gas tank ignited. The track’s electrified third rail was pulled up and pierced the S.U.V. and the first two cars of the train."

ETA: IDK why some in-frame captions of photo did not copy & paste.
The white 'car' icon at track is the Mercedes SUV, and the short white line to its right marks the post of the gate arm.
 
some more research I found this comment:

Some late model Mercedes SUVs are equipped with “Collision Prevention Assist Plus” capable in collision avoidance situations of apply 100% of vehicle braking. If in fact this vehicle was equipped with this feature and the railway safety gate was blocking the rear sensor, it would alarm and prevent the vehicle from moving in reverse. This would have possible explain the reason for exiting the vehicle to check the rear of vehicle. With vehicle not being able to go in reverse the only alternative would be go forward, but as the front collision prevention sensor sensed the front railway gate, it would have prevented vehicle from moving forward. This scenario avoids a collision with the railway gates but traps the vehicle between the safety gates on the track.

This may explain how this happened.
Perhaps after she edged forward,the collision system sensor would not let her
go either back or (more) forward ( the system sensing the gates).
I can only think she must of been trying her best to get it to move.
JMO
 
She was able to move forward. In fact she did so, right into path of the train. Both the guy behind her and the train engineer say they saw her advance onto the tracks right before the impact.
 
ScarlettScarpetta said:
The experts have been saying all week, Just get out and run toward the train. That is the best way to make sure you are safe.
Click to expand...

Seriously? If your car is STALLED and you can't move it then yes, there is no other choice. But if you put your car on the tracks and you could drive the vehicle off the tracks then simply running away to save yourself while possibly killing folks on the train is unfathomable to me. If someone simply ran to save themselves when it was their error and they could have prevented a deadly collision then they would likely end up in prison.

I agree with others and think she was far more concerned about the crossing arm scratching her car, she got out and looked at it, even "wiggled it" so IMO she pulled forward hoping it would cause LESS damage to her vehicle. Instead of having an "oh shhh" moment when the arm came down and realizing she could be hit by a train she was more concerned about her paint job.
 
Exactly. Driving a car onto the tracks, leaving it there, and then running off to save your own behind while potentially condemning people on the train is not a good solution. Experts aren't saying that is what one should do. Only if the car stalls and is not operational, then it makes sense to get out of it.
 
That must have been a horrific few seconds for her and the man in the car behind her. Unfathomable!
 
Is that the Taconic State Parkway like right there behind the RR track?? Can someone explain to me how the traffic pattern works. I'm assuming (hoping!) there are stoplight signals on the Taconic part to stop the flow of traffic on the highway and then Commerce street intersects the parkway and crosses to the other side? I'm not seeing traffic lights so I'm a bit confused. It is a very confusing area with the tracks, the railroad crossing, the trees, the curves in the road, the park like cemetery surrounding it. This has done nothing to quell my apprehension of the Taconic. With this and the past tragedy on the Taconic I'm feeling very apprehensive of driving down from Albany next week. Have locals been saying that is a well signed area? Also what about bells sounding? Did this crossing have the clang clang loud bell going off at the same time as the lights and the gate descending?
 
GinaSeikwa said:
Is that the Taconic State Parkway like right there behind the RR track?? Can someone explain to me how the traffic pattern works. I'm assuming (hoping!) there are stoplight signals on the Taconic part to stop the flow of traffic on the highway and then Commerce street intersects the parkway and crosses to the other side? I'm not seeing traffic lights so I'm a bit confused. It is a very confusing area with the tracks, the railroad crossing, the trees, the curves in the road, the park like cemetery surrounding it. This has done nothing to quell my apprehension of the Taconic. With this and the past tragedy on the Taconic I'm feeling very apprehensive of driving down from Albany next week. Have locals been saying that is a well signed area? Also what about bells sounding? Did this crossing have the clang clang loud bell going off at the same time as the lights and the gate descending?
Click to expand...
bbm

bbm#1. Yes.
bbm#2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taconic_State_Parkway narrative, pix,& maps
bbm#3. bells, flashing lights, and gate arms at RR crossing is on Commerce, not there on TSP intself.
NTSB stated all the safety features were fully operational, as linked in my earlier posts, further corroborated by driver behind Mrs B.

Also re your planned drive on TSP -- beforehand, try Google Earth streetview feature to e-drive it, get more comfortable w the route.
You could start a thread in Private Forums, to ask for more ideas.
Ppl could suggest alternative websites, programs, apps to help prepare you for trip or alternative routes to use.

And pls. stay off the phone when behind the wheel. TYVM.
 
All six people killed in New York City suburb train crash died from 'burns and blunt force trauma' reveals medical examiner

Medical examiners report released on Tuesday into last weeks MTA Metro-North crash

Report did not reveal if the initial collision caused the blunt-force injuries or the third rail which pierced the carriage

The NTSB will use a seating diagram for their comprehensive findings which are not due for months

Six people died - five passengers and the SUV driver - in Tuesday night's collision during the evening commute in Valhalla, New York

Mother-of-three Ellen Brody, 49, Morgan Stanley employee Aditya Tomar, 41, banker Eric Vandercar, 53, Met museum art curator Walter Liedtke, 69, research scientist Robert Dirks, 36, and Joseph B. Nadol, 42, of Ossining were all killed in the crash

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-force-injuries-reveals-medical-examiner.html
 
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