Pic Of The Day #1842

Posted on May 3, 2022 | 1 Comment

Train tracks, river and I-95 (Photo/John Videler for Videler Photography)

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One response to “Pic Of The Day #1842”

  1. Jonathan Prager | May 3, 2022 at 10:30 pm |

    When I saw this picture, I did a double take. And, my heart skipped a beat.

    Then, another.

    On December 26th, 2013 exactly in this spot, my fiancée — Annette Lynn White — was struck by the arriving Metro North Train just after dusk.

    She was killed instantly.

    The impact knocked her out of her sneakers, and into the river below.

    The Metro North driver was possibly impaired, not paying attention, or simply not looking.

    Knowing the train had struck something, s/he paused momentarily. Not finding any obstruction, s/he continued into the station and never reported the incident.

    The next morning, the cracker jack Wesport Police Department invaded my house. They didn’t let me know her body had been found floating in the Sound near Saugatuck Shores. Without alerting me she was dead, they belligerently questioned me, and posted a man on me to follow me around my house, though I was still in my bathrobe.

    Eventually, they accused me of murdering her, finally swearing at me as they took their leave.

    About a week later, a passenger on the train who heard about the tragedy on the news reported the incident.

    I was exonerated.

    If the Police Chief hadn’t owed a favor to one of my good friends, they would never have returned the items of mine and hers they had confiscated. Even so, they kept the possessions for more than three years.

    Westport has never had any oversight for its police until about a year ago. The town desperately needs not the politicized Civilian Review Panel which duplicitous former First Selectman Jim Marpe hastily organized to keep control of the police department — and which the RTM has voted to keep in place — but an independent Civilian Review Board, as authorized by State Public Act No. 21-33 (https://www.cga.ct.gov/2021/act/pa/pdf/2021PA-00033-R00SB-01093-PA.pdf), which gives necessary powers to an independent civilian review board to oversee police so abuses such as I describe above do not continue.

    I Love Annette very much.

    I always will.

    Perhaps, some good will come from this picture, and this story.

    I would like to name the railroad bridge after her: The Annette White Memorial Railroad Bridge.

    Rest in Peace, Sweetheart.