Lucky to Be Alive

Eric Gross A Putnam Lake man is lucky to be alive after his vehicle was struck by a six-car Metro-North train at an unguarded railroad crossing in Patterson.

The violent crash took place Sunday around 7pm when the northbound train carrying 66 passengers slammed into the car at the Marble Quarry Road crossing—a private road leading to the Great Swamp Environmental refuge.

The impact crushed the vehicle, forcing it to overturn five times before coming to rest on its roof across the street from the Patterson Recreation Center more than 200 feet from the point of impact.

The Putnam 911 Dispatch Center received several calls reporting the calamity. Operators notified the Patterson Fire Department, MTA Police and surrounding police patrols. Sheriff’s Department personnel rushed to the scene along with Brewster State Police.

An investigation determined that the driver identified by Metro North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders as 46-year-old David Colucci of Putnam Lake was attempting to cross the track, which does not contain any warning signal other than a railroad crossing sign, when his vehicle stopped too close to the intersection and was struck by the passing train.

Initially the victim told rescue workers that his son was riding in the car with him. When the teenager could not be found reinforcements were called in and special thermal imaging cameras were used without success.

Anders told the Courier as the victim was being transported by the Patterson FD Rescue Squad to Danbury Hospital for treatment, he advised EMTs that his son had not been in the car with him at the time of the crash: “Apparently the victim became confused due to his trauma and initially told police that the boy was in the vehicle.”

Police went to Colucci’s home and found the teenager safe and sound.

Anders remains in the hospital in fair condition. A spokesman said Monday the Putnam Lake man is suffering from a broken pelvis along with numerous facial abrasions and contusions that resulted from his car repeatedly overturning.

Authorities said that at the time of the impact the victim was wearing a seatbelt, which probably saved his life and prevented Colucci from being ejected from the vehicle.

Anders said the passengers on the train were delayed for over two hours in reaching their destination until a single selfpropelled railroad car was sent to the crash site south of the Patterson Railroad Station and the passengers were transferred.

No one on the train was injured.

Patterson FD Chief Frank Smith said this was not the first time his department had been summoned to a train-car crash at the unguarded crossing: “This is the third time we have answered the alarm at this location. The result is always the same. The vehicle is destroyed and the train chugs away!”

Assisting at the scene were members of the Putnam Lake FD, TransCare Paramedics, members of the Patterson FD Fire Police under the command of Lt. John Bodor, Putnam Deputy Emergency Coordinator Cris Dellaripa, and a representative of the Putnam Bureau of Emergency Services.