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| May 05, 2024 |
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General News: Train Accident at Riverfront Raises Concerns
May 15, 2007
A freight train struck a van parked near the railroad crossing at the riverfront Friday evening while scores of people were gathered in the park to take photos on junior prom night.
No one was injured in the accident, in which a southbound train struck the van, which had been parked by Christine McDonald a couple of feet north of the crossing. Her eight-year-old son was inside the vehicle, strapped in with a seatbelt while she was in the park with her daughters.
McDonald’s van was clipped by one of the cars on the passing train, village police chief Charles Williams said, hitting the rear passenger side and destroying the back end. The train came to a stop, blocking both crossings into the riverfront area.
“This was all very traumatic for myself and my family,” McDonald says. “We are all still reeling from what could have been and, fortunately, was not.”
Police and fire units were called to the chaotic scene at the riverfront. “There were cars parked everywhere,” Storm King fire chief Jeff Armitage told the village board Monday night. “Our concern was, were there injuries? Were there hazards?”
When Mayor Joseph Gross arrived at the scene, he says the number of people there was “overwhelming,… about 300 people, with cars and limos down there.” The sight brought home to Gross the potential problems that could be caused by an accident with a train carrying hazardous material.
McDonald says that she was inconsolable at the time and credits Karen Zuzek of COVAC for helping her calm down. She also thanks high school junior Christina Jordan who took her son out the car. “She was dressed fabulously for the prom,” McDonald says, “and without thinking twice, she pulled him out and took care of him.”
The train sat on the track for the next hour, blocking traffic from leaving and dozens of prom-goers from getting to the party. McDonald says that parents helped to get some of the students across the train tracks to the cars that had been parked up and down Shore Road.
At Monday’s board meeting, Mayor Gross and the trustees discussed how to avoid a repeat of the incident. Police chief Williams noted that he routinely sends patrols to the riverfront on senior prom night but this is the first time large numbers of people had come down to take photos for the junior prom. He plans to add extra patrols for the junior prom in the future.
The board also discussed a use policy for the park and gazebo that would limit parking. The issue will be on the agenda for the village board meeting next Monday night, May 21.
McDonald says she is glad that the village board is studying the issue and will make changes to improve safety. “We need to move forward and learn from the experience,” she says. “God was shining on us that day.”
Comments:
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I feel the above comment is a little harsh. It probably isn't a bad idea to address the hazardous materials(aboard trains) issue anyway.
posted by [email protected] on 05/15/07 at 12:00 AM
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I agree with the original poster. You park in the designated areas. To park elsewhere is putting you, people in and around your vehicle, and your vehicle at risk. And to leave a child in the vehicle while parked near the train track suggests a charge of endangerment. Come on people, let's show some common sense.
posted by GymGal on 05/15/07 at 12:00 AM
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"WE" need to learn from this??... I think I was maybe 10 years old when I truly understood that a train is a BIG , DANGEROUS, POWERFUL thing and to stay away from it. I notice that at no time does Ms. McDonald apologize for her lack of judgment in parking her car so close to the tracks. Not only did she create a (albeit minor) problem for the prom-goers, she endangered the lives of her child, the people who may have been near the tracks and the employees on the train, not to mention the emergency personnel who responded to the scene. What if it had caused a derailment?
Parking at the river front is already restricted, the last thing we need are more rules to govern our behaviour; you can't legislate common sense and consideration for others.
posted by kate benson on 05/15/07 at 12:00 AM
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This is another example of how one person, ruins it for the lot of us. Understandably this is the new destination for the "quintiscential pretty prom pic" Maybe a sign up schedule alowinig students to take their pics at designated times woud be a good idea. We have to sign up for everything else in this town. Extra police should not be an issue, as well, considering the taxes we pay.
posted by beccafan on 05/16/07 at 12:00 AM
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Enough already! Chris McDonald is one of the kindest, most even-tempered, and helpful people in this persnickety town. The very thought that this ACCIDENT happened to Chris in the first place has left all of her friends and acquaintances aghast. If such a blood-curdling, nearly-catastrophic event should ever befall the indignant posters to this story (or are they categorically without fault or an occassional lapse in judgement?) they should recall this event and be prepared for public flogging on top of private horror.
posted by Kueremin on 05/18/07 at 12:00 AM
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