This is the stuff film noir, or nightmares are made of. Except that it happened yesterday, some 30 miles from where I had lived for many years. A woman made a wrong turn and was pulled out of her car moments before a train smashed it.
Yesterday afternoon, a woman from Islandia, Long Island, drove down Brentwood Road in Bayshore in her Volkswagen Jetta. After entering the railroad crossing of the Long Island Railroad, she turned left and ended up on the railroad tracks. She could not free her car. If you inspect the picture (brought to you by Google Streetview) you will see why.
Police arrived at the scene. The police contacted the Long Island Railroad to warn them of the car in the tracks. The railroad replied that a train was coming. The cops asked to stop the train. The railroad was unable to.
The cops pulled the driver from the car, and all three ran for their lives. Newsday picks up the story:
“Moments later, as they ran to safety, the train smashed into the Jetta, sending it “flying across the tracks,” according to police. No one was injured on the train or in the immediate vicinity, police said.”
Why did the lady make a sharp left turn on a railroad crossing? This might explain it:
“Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police later charged the driver of the car with driving while intoxicated.”
“Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police later charged the driver of the car with driving while being female.”
Well at least she won’t be behind the wheel of that particular Jetta again.
Did I miss why the police had to pull her from the car instead of her simply stepping out and walking away? The oncoming train wasn’t sufficient incentive to give up on the car so the police needed to pull her away? Maybe the doors were blocked by the tracks and she was for some reason unable to climb out herself?
Based on the information on the article, this rescue seemed more dramatic than necessary.
@burger: Her being intoxicated might have something to do with why she did not run away on her own.
@Bertel: Rather than being cute, can you just tell us why she could not free her car? I looked at the photo and don’t see whatever is so obvious to you.
She turned left onto the train tracks.
If you look at the crossing, the top of it is level with the top of the rails. But the track bed and ties are a fair distance lower than that. Most cars, certainly a Jetta, will get hung up on that. For the most part the Jetta’s undercarriage was resting on top of the rails. She’s lucky she did not touch the third rail…I’m surprised that the MTA could not radio the train and either change to a parallel track or stop the train. Their radios certainly work when they want to call in a counterfeit ticket…
A) What 3rd rail? The line isn’t electrified. The only danger she faced was her own immense stupidity.
B) A freight train can take several miles to stop.
C) There are no switches either side of that crossing for several miles. Switching the train would have been impossible.
D) Even if a switch was available, a railroad wouldn’t necessarily have been able to switch the train as the other line is for trains coming the other way.
All in all, she’s an idiot, and I hope her insurance company refuses to pay out.
Third rail ? Aren’t they used only on subways/el trains ? And monorails ? <—-joke
The LIRR is one of the few commuter rail systems in the world, and one of only two in the US, that uses third rail power.
It is not something to take lightly – running currents can exceed 10,000 amps @ 750 volts, fault currents are much much higher (I’ve heard 6 figure amperages quoted)
Getting hit by a train on the LIRR isn’t a good thing either – top speed = 80mph in many portions of the system.
No third rail. The Montauk branch (where this happened) is diesel only. Distrust Wikipedia!
Or just look at google street view and have a look at the railway line…
I think the other one is in Chicago. I’m about 90% sure that the CTA uses a 3rd rail for power.
At first, I interpreted the post’s title as “(Woman saved from oncoming train and car) dies”. I’m glad she made it, shame on her for driving intoxicated, etc.
So inquiring minds want to know … why did she die?
Should have left her in the car and let Darwin take his course. She would not have harmed anyone else.