Railroad Seeks to Bill Victim of Accident at Unguarded, Dangerous Crossing
(Milford, Connecticut – June 1, 2011)
As a mother and her 7-year-old daughter lay in a hospital recovering from injuries received Sunday afternoon in an accident with an MTA Metro-North train at an unguarded, dangerous, allegedly-private railroad crossing in Milford, CT, officials of the railroad set in motion a plan to force her to pay for the damages.
Vicki Buker-Besse, 40, and her 7-year-old daughter, were headed for their home nearby for additional supplies needed for a family picnic when their car crossed Metro-North tracks at the Herbert Street crossing, which has neither gates nor lights, and has been the subject of numerous public complaints.
Their vehicle was struck on the passenger side by a Metro-North commuter passenger train and was overturned and heavily damaged. Family members extricated the driver from the car, and all claimed there was no whistle sounded by the approaching train.
Meanwhile, Metro-North Spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said the driver is being cited by Metropolitan Transportation Authority police for failure to use caution in approaching the train tracks. She also said that Metro-North has not yet come up with the final figure it will seek from the victim’s insurance carrier.
