Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Jennifer Koo Jahyun, 35, of East Palo Alto who's car was hit by the CalTrain Monday evening. We simply can not fathom the heartbreak of those who loved her.
We also anguish over the car seat. While grateful no child was in it, we fear they now may grow up motherless. It's stunning, the unbearable dolor of so many from simply crossing a train track. Our heads can't wrap around it, and our hearts just tear.
The Ravenswood Avenue intersection is a major intersection, close to the Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital, which crosses the CalTrain tracks. It's a block away, and a short block at that. One of our staff heard the horrific crash and was third on the scene. For our staff, this crash isn't something we will forget any time soon.
Menlo Park Fire District Chief Harold Schapelhouman was quoted in the SF Chronicle article with a particlarly cogent reminder.
“Trains can’t swerve and they can’t stop very quickly,” he said. “If you find yourself in the path of a train, get out of the way, and if you are in a car that is stuck, get out of the car.”
We don't know the reason she couldn't get out of the car, but imagine that there had to be one. So, we'd like to add a little more to the Fire Chief's reminder.
Please, please, if you're walking across the tracks, remove your earbuds, and use caution. Use extra bonus caution. Respect the warning arm.
If you're driving across the tracks, don't start to cross the tracks until you actually see 2x your car's length on the other side. Don't assume the pace forward will continue. Traffic happens. Unless you can get all the way across -- and get all of your car all the way across, plus some more -- just don't even think about it. Everything else can wait.
If you're coming into the hospital and want to contribute to the family, we are working with Caltrain to ensure that what we collect gets directly to the family.
