No Parking

Turns out the porch at the Deer Park Tavern in Newark is good for more than just excessive drinking. Amybear and I were there celebrating with friends. The occasion was one of the friends freshly minted paralegal certification. After we had finished our meal (beer, nachos, burger, sundays, woo hoo) we had some unexpected vehicular "entertainment."

The Deer Park is situated right next to the CSX railroad tracks. The second story deck, where we were seated, has a perfect view on them. At one point in our meal, a train went by uneventfully, that was kind of fun. The next engineer would not be so lucky.

To make a long story short, a driver did something very stupid. The railroad crossing is right next to a major intersection involving 4 roads. The idiot in question must have made a wrong turn, so instead of using a real road he decided to cut down the tracks. Not across, down like he was a train.

Either his car stalled or he lost traction or he had a death wish, in either case his car wasn't moving when the gates came down. He stayed in the car for a few seconds more, perhaps trying to save it or perhaps contemplating his own mortality. In any case, he bailed out leaving the sedan empty and on the tracks with it's truck pointed towards the oncoming train. The trains whistle cut through the air with urgency as the sound of it's approach grew ever louder. The tension rose to the breaking point as the headlamp of the locomotive illuminated the intersection.

The car crumpled like a cheap paper cup and was pushed along the tracks until it left our view behind some nearby trees. The collision rattled most witnesses although thankfully no one seemed to be injured. The car was empty and the railroad workers would be insulated by the freight train's massive size. Police and fire department were on the scene in barely a minute. The local reporters from the Review, University of Delaware's paper, beat them easily. They had been drinking only yards away on the porch.

Now that it's all over, I really really wished I'd brought my digital camera to the party. But that's just the sick bastard I am.