A 32-year-old Californian whose rental car got smashed by a Metro-North train last night was issued a minor summons for causing the fiery crash that stranded railroad commuters for hours.
Bo Bai, a computer technician from Sunnyvale who said he was merely trusting his car’s global positioning system when he steered onto the tracks, was cited for obstructing a railroad crossing, officials said this afternoon.
Bai, who has been working in Fishkill, was driving west on Green Lane around 7 p.m., and told Metropolitan Transportation Authority police the GPS system instructed him to turn right as he was crossing the tracks. He was headed for the Saw Mill River Parkway, just past the tracks.
He got stuck, tried unsuccessfully to reverse and finally abandoned the 2006 Ford Focus minutes before it was slammed by a northbound Metro-North Harlem Line train, MTA police said.
“As the car is driving over the tracks, the GPS system tells him to turn right, and he turns right onto the railroad tracks,” said Brucker. “That’s how it happened.”
Brucker added, “He tried to stop the train by waving his arms, which apparently was not totally effective in slowing the train.”
I suppose if it told him to jump off a cliff he would do that too?
Was the man blind? I think some of us rely to much on machines and technology instead of our own technology in our head. It’s called common sense.
He should have had his cruise control on and wouldn’t have happened.
A computer technician? you would think he would know better.
I have a feeling, he is trying to “explain” why this was “not his fault”- yeah right!
I bet the radio was too loud, thus he did not hear, Turn Right – IN 200 FEET –
GPS navigation are off by 200 feet or more plenty of times.
“One computer brain listening to another”
What does he program, stop lights?
A GPS does not make a dumb-ass idiot any smarter.
Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Idiot.
Idiot who?
I’m using a GPS device.
Chuggachugga WHOOOO WHOOOO! CRUSH!
Oh no! DAMN YOU GPS!
Some people shouldn’t have a license.
I live near that area
The crossing is well marked and it is very clear that it is a railroad crossing
The driver is an idiot
They need to put a disclaimer on all GPS devices saying something like “We here at (instert name of GPS company) assume that you are not a complete idiot or a lemming and will blindly follow somebody off a cliff if told to do so.”
Im here!!!G.P.S.cant locate me,tee hee.
Here in the good ol’U.K.We have a one eyed moron who went into work and became our new prime minister. Admittedly you cant blame gps for that,harmony224 has got it about right put a disclaimer on it,and thats that.Except here you would be breaching someones human rights,so in fact you cant disclaim anything.
You have Bush,we had Blair,now we have Brown and are in the brown stuff upto our necks.Good luck to your new candidate,your bit of brown stuff.He couldnt possibly outdo “It wasnt sex I only Smoked your clitoris Clinton” Was it Socrates or Confuscious who said “A Bush in your hand invariably shits on your wrist”?
Brucker added, “He tried to stop the train by waving his arms, which apparently was not totally effective in slowing the train”
That is a vidio I’d like to see.