How is this possible...? (LaDonna Alfano)

[LooksLikeCRicci]

Originally Posted by deelynn

Actually, my grandfather was involved in an accident where the car stalled on the train tracks when he was young. As they came over the tracks another car was stalled at the stop sign on the other side. My grandfather's uncle was able to grab my grandfather and jump from the car. My great grandfather wrapped his body around my great uncle and absorbed the impact. Uncle Harold survived but my great grandfather was killed.

Granted, this was many years ago. My grandfather never allowed us to count the train cars when we were waiting at a crossing.

Also, my husband's great uncle and aunt were killed by a train about 12 years ago. They were elderly. People reported that the signal was malfunctioning and that it had been reported to the railroad company but not yet repaired. It seems that when they found themselves on the tracks they just froze. There were cars in front of them and also behind. The other cars tried to move so they could get off the tracks but witnesses stated that they sat in the car, frozen and watched the train coming. They were not suicidal. Both were in good health. Marriage was still healthy after more than 40 years.

Wowww... thanks for sharing that with us. What sad stories. Guess it just goes to show you that accidents happen anywhere.

[SP4CE INV4DERZ]

Awhile ago I wondered how this could happened, well yesterday in Perth over here, a disabled woman in a wheelchair actually fell outta the chair and landed in between the tracks... and well.. I don't need to tell you what happened next. so anythings possible now.

[Cori aka ChrisSCrush]

Originally Posted by iliekcheezomg

Even if the car really did stall right in the middle of the tracks, I always thought it was weird that they all stayed in the car. The segment made it look as though they would've had plenty of time to get out, plus that half the town apparently saw the whole thing happen. o_O

My impression exactly, that anyone with any real maternal feeling and that amount of time, would have gotten all of the children not only out of the car but far enough from the car that no matter which way the train pushed it it would not slide off the tracks and hit them--think of saving the kids before the car!

[Necco]

Originally Posted by Cori aka ChrisSCrush

My impression exactly, that anyone with any real maternal feeling and that amount of time, would have gotten all of the children not only out of the car but far enough from the car that no matter which way the train pushed it it would not slide off the tracks and hit them--think of saving the kids before the car!

Well, I'm sure it wasn't exactly how Unsolved Mysteries depicted it. They may have extended the time for heightened drama. Even if it was based on eyewitness reports, impressions of passage of time are VERY unreliable in high stress situations. Also, I don't recall the segment stating how they were found inside the car. Remember, the car was full of children, grabbing them all up in their arms may have taken more time than they had. Perhaps they were trying to get out and were foiled by seat belts and/or car locks. I'm not sure that we can judge someone in such a situation... how long would it take you to get 5 small children out of a car with a train bearing down on you? I hope none of us ever has to find out.

And let's not forget that people's brains often shut down in such situations and they proceed with the first thing that comes to mind, even if it is not the most effective solution, for example, people in fires in public places have a tendency to try and leave by the door they came in even if it is further away. So, in that scenario the frozen brain logic may have been 'car is stuck, must move car'. It also just could have been a 'deer caught in headlights' sort of thing.

-Necco

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by mistagee

People, and often women, sometimes panic in situations behind the wheel and may freeze up.

I'm really, really not trying to be a pain in the backside, but don't you think that's kind of a broad statement to make about "women drivers"? (That phrase always makes me laugh, btw; it sounds so archaic )

[PracTz]

The car stuck on the traintrack wasn't the only fishy thing there. I also thought something wasn't right about how Mr. Alfano claimed he had NO idea how to contact the late Mrs. Alfano's family nor even who they were- yet somehow LaDonna could recall getting a card from an aunt when she was a teenager years after the trainwreck. Oh, yeah, they all got reunited after the segment was shown and both sides claimed to be so happy to see each other (again?) . However; I couldn't shake the feeling that there may have been a major rift (possibly from even before the trainwreck) that none of the older adults wanted to own up whatever their roles may have played so they could bask in LaDonna being so happy to see them!

[Cori aka ChrisSCrush]

Michael Gross of Family Ties made a safety video about how not to get hit by a train. The length was 60 minutes, and I thought, how could it take an hour to say, "STAY OFF THE TRACKS!" Trains run on them. Yet, some people don't get it. Look at this male genius not from New Jersey (or even America) http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2008-17.html who earned himself a Darwin Award.

[browneyes106]

I always found those elements of the case weird. But nothing can be done now to help what happened.

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by Cori aka ChrisSCrush

Michael Gross of Family Ties made a safety video about how not to get hit by a train. The length was 60 minutes, and I thought, how could it take an hour to say, "STAY OFF THE TRACKS!" Trains run on them. Yet, some people don't get it. Look at this male genius not from New Jersey (or even America) http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2008-17.html who earned himself a Darwin Award.

I know it's off topic, but, wow, do I remember the infamous Michael Gross "Operation Lifesaver" video. I had to watch it in drivers' ed in high school---for all of its repetitiveness, the whole '80's look and film quality was truly amazing. I never totally "got" just how serious trains really were until my husband started working for the railroad. Gruesome, gruesome accidents.

[Cori aka ChrisSCrush]

Well, I hope the video helped someone.

[wiseguy182]

Originally Posted by Cori aka ChrisSCrush

Michael Gross of Family Ties made a safety video about how not to get hit by a train. The length was 60 minutes, and I thought, how could it take an hour to say, "STAY OFF THE TRACKS!" Trains run on them. Yet, some people don't get it. Look at this male genius not from New Jersey (or even America) http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2008-17.html who earned himself a Darwin Award.

I TOTALLY remember seeing that vid in driver's ed. I remember the teacher making Gross's introduction and Gross getting applause on his entrance. That was actually the most current video we saw in that class, as most dated back to the 70's. The whole class would laught at various points for the sheer corniness and outdatidness of it.

[MOP]

Hi all. LaDonna is my long-lost cousin. I was curious to see what, if anything, I could find about this episode online, and am delighted to see people are still talking about it. I wanted to point out/share a couple things:
1st... The episode was a dramatization of the events, obviously we don't know how much time the driver had between the car stalling and the train impact.
2nd... Don't forget that not only was LaDonna, her mother, and her two sisters in the car, but also her mother's friend, and her two children. LaDonna was the only survivor. That's a lot of frightened, panicked, and probably screaming people, and I'm not sure I'd be able to think clearly in those circumstances, either.
3rd... This happened in 1961. Cars were much less dependable, train signals and crossing gates were not nearly as sophisticated as today's technology. Not to mention, perhaps the car had a history of a stalling and/or a flooding engine. Perhaps due to past experiences, the driver expected the car to start again, not realizing that in her panic she may have been making matters worse by continuing to gas the engine. Not to mention, in those days, it wasn't usually the women who were the auto mechanics in the family. I doubt the driver knew how to change the oil, let alone understand why her car was stalling and not starting. I could be wrong, but that's what my gut tells me.
4th... You are correct in your presumption that there was some bad blood between my grandparents and LaDonna's father. (He wasn't invited to the reunion, you may not have noticed) But despite my grandfather's love for his granddaughter, he was not able to keep up with her father's relocations, and since LaDonna was only 5 at the time of the accident, her grandparents soon grew to be distant memories as she was absorbed by her father's new wife, her family, and the new surroundings she found herself in, always self-conscious of her facial scars and emotionally damaged by the terrible loss of her mother, twin, and sister, and the "replacement" mother she had to endure (that's putting it lightly).
5th... As for the reunion... Let me tell you that LaDonna was never for a moment a stranger to us. She was *family* immediately. We've had several family reunions since the initial reunion (we all live spread out across the nation), and there's never been a cross word or "oh my gosh, who is this person?" uttered. We feel continually blessed to have LaDonna back in our family and only wish she hadn't had to endure the many years of loneliness and separation from us and that we had known her sooner. If you remember from the show, LaDonna mentions how she never understood why she didn't feel a close bond with her father's side of the family, but after meeting us she did understand. She's *our* family. Her mannerisms, thought processes, love for life and how she expresses them are all *very* much derived from her mother and her mother's side of the family. It is uncanny. We *get* each other.

On a side note, she's sleeping in my spare bedroom as I type this. She's visiting me for 2 weeks to celebrate the holidays and then we fly together to meet my sister's family, their new son who was born just a month ago, LaDonna's aunt (my mother) and my other sibling from Arizona. It will be our 3rd reunion at my sister's place, we've already had a 2nd at my mother's, and one at LaDonna's on the east coast. That happiness depicted in the show doesn't even scratch the surface of the true love that exists between LaDonna and the rest of us... of course, how could it? We had only *JUST MET HER* at the time. She is an unbelievable person, and I'm proud to call her "Cuz."

Of course, the most bittersweet thing of all was how my grandfather went home after saying goodbye to LaDonna at the airport, sat down to watch TV, and never awoke. If I'm not mistaken, it was LaDonna's call upon her arrival home that my Oma found she couldn't awaken Opa. He died peacefully in his sleep, his prayers answered, and full of memories he waited a lifetime to experience. May God bless us all with a transition as beautiful.
Love,
-LaDonna's Cousin

Originally Posted by PracTz

The car stuck on the traintrack wasn't the only fishy thing there. I also thought something wasn't right about how Mr. Alfano claimed he had NO idea how to contact the late Mrs. Alfano's family nor even who they were- yet somehow LaDonna could recall getting a card from an aunt when she was a teenager years after the trainwreck. Oh, yeah, they all got reunited after the segment was shown and both sides claimed to be so happy to see each other (again?) . However; I couldn't shake the feeling that there may have been a major rift (possibly from even before the trainwreck) that none of the older adults wanted to own up whatever their roles may have played so they could bask in LaDonna being so happy to see them!

[LooksLikeCRicci]

That's super cool. I'm glad to hear that you and LaDonna are close. You two enjoy the rest of your holiday season!

[Necco]

Originally Posted by MOP

Of course, the most bittersweet thing of all was how my grandfather went home after saying goodbye to LaDonna at the airport, sat down to watch TV, and never awoke. If I'm not mistaken, it was LaDonna's call upon her arrival home that my Oma found she couldn't awaken Opa. He died peacefully in his sleep, his prayers answered, and full of memories he waited a lifetime to experience. May God bless us all with a transition as beautiful.
Love,
-LaDonna's Cousin

Wow, I will never cease to be amazed about stories of people who accomplish something big and then pass away. It is as if finding his long lost granddaughter made his life complete. I'm glad things have worked out so well for LaDonna and your family.

Happy New Year and thank you for sharing.
-Necco

[DALLASTEXAN!!]

good post MOP. Obviously there are some things that can be easily mis-interpreted when watching UM. but that's one of the great things about the mysterious nature of the show.
on another note:

not that being a woman had anything to do with it, but my mom almost had me killed one day trying to beat a train while crossing the tracks.....stupid decision on her part. I was only 5 years old and to this day I won't let her off the hook for that one. Having said that I know I have made some poor choices behind the wheel......it's called being human(not male or female).