VALHALLA Horror Last Evening

[G-Man]

Commuter train weaving through Valhalla, NY last evening hits SUV stranded on tracks between the arms.  The driver, unable to make it across due to traffic had the warning arms come down around her, actually hitting the back of her vehicle.  She got out, wiggled the arm, the driver behind backed up and signaled for her to back off the track, but she instead pulled forward??!!??!!??  8 dead, many injured.

Guess common sense went out the window.  If you can't make it across, how do you proceed forward onto train tracks?  There will be investigations and tons of money spent, all due to driver error. 

Peace and strength to all involved and to those who lost loved ones.

[John Schmidt]

Had something similar almost happen here in Winter Park. I was on the bike at a RR crossing and had stopped before the tracks due to traffic ahead. I always check where I am re. the arms, but this jerk behind me started honking. I pointed to the arms and the car in front with the rear bumper barely clearing the tracks. This clown pulled out and went around me, pulling into the adjacent lane(it's a 4-lane street) and also had to stop because the car in front was right at the tracks and the arms would have landed on him. He sat there for a few seconds when suddenly our fast moving commuter train horn blew in the distance. The arms started to come down and this genius backed up and pulled onto the sidewalk. The traffic moved at the last minute but if he had stayed where he was, he wouldn't be here today. People can be so stupid at times. This jerk gained all of 30' and almost at the cost of his life.

[Big Rig]

Was sorry to hear this on the news this morning....

Sometimes you can put a price on stupidity...a very high price for some.

[pago cruiser]

Darwin never sleeps.
The real tragedy is the innocents caught up in the carnage.  Best you can hope for is... don't be one of them.

[cookiedough]

Just saw it on the news.  Why stop on the tracks with arms down probably seeing the train barreling down your way as well.  The heck with getting out of the SUV and checking for damage from the arms coming down on it,  get back in vehicle ASAP and move ASAP. 

I've seen trains and stopped for them when they are flying by me going 50 mph along the Mississippi River several times.  Just to stop say 10' away from the railroad crossing arms makes me shudder in horror since the truck I sit in shakes and ground seems to shudder a tad just by sheer mass of the long train cars full of coal, etc. 

[YoungPUP]

That much weight moving that fast always wins.  I get honked at all the time at RR crossings.  HAve cleaned up a few derailments and after seeing that, I ALWAYS stop about 6 car lengths back from the gates.  Honk all you want.  I'll give my eye witness statement of what happened when the dust settles after the crash.