I’m starting to reconsider whether I should post these, because they are gruesome and sad, but I will continue for a while just to illuminate how many fatal accidents there are on Metro-North, and hopefully spread the word to *be careful around trains*.

However, when reading a lot of these accident reports, it sounds like many of them are actually suicides rather than absentmindedness or foolishness. Such is the case in Yonkers yesterday….

photo: markhillary

Evidentally, the woman was sitting on the protected third rail of the Hudson line and was struck and killed by a Croton-Harmon-bound train shortly before 5:30 p.m.

The conductor had spotted the woman and acted appropriately, sounding the whistle and hitting the emergency brakes, to no avail.

Which brings up another point – I feel really bad for the conductors – obviously a train cannot stop in time in most of these cases, so it is in no way his fault, but I am sure there is a great deal of emotional toll it takes on them to have to deal with these all-to-frequent situations.

update: the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner has concluded that the victim was a man, and that it has been ruled a suicide, contrary to the original Metro-North report. Also “The location of the accident originally was thought to have been in Yonkers but was in the area of a footbridge near the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale” via LoHud.com

via Mid-Hudson News