Free Robert Ray

Brooklyn, NY - Peter - Friday, July 3rd, 2009 : goo

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Recently, I've been scanning lots of 90s graf flicks. I came across this one, scanned it, and asked Swatch who
Robert Ray was.

He replied with this:

On August 28, 1991, an accident occurred just north of Union Square station, killing five people and injuring
215 others in one of the worst wrecks since the Malbone Street Disaster of 1918. The train operator, Robert Ray,
had been overshooting platforms on the entire run. Just north of 14th Street–Union Square the train was to be
shifted to the local track due to repairs. He had been running the train at 40 mph (65 km/h) in a 10 mph (16 km/h)
zone and took the switch so fast that only the front of the first car made the crossover. The third and fourth cars
ended up perpendicular to the tracks, having sheared off support columns and split in half. The line suffered heavy
damage and service was disrupted for six days (trains terminating at 59th street for the duration) as transit
workers toiled around the clock to clean up the wreckage. The entire infrastructure, including signals, switches,
track, roadbed, cabling, and 23 support columns needed to be replaced. The motorman was sentenced to 15 years
in prison, but was set free in April 2001 for good behavior.

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