We could make the widest, flatest roadways in the world with no obstacles and people will manage to get themselves killed.

There are usually curbs on highway bridges; it looks to me like they function as part of the drainage system (directing water to the drains in the deck).

But I do think bridges should have a minimum safety height for guard rails. When I drive a truck, there's nothing I have more than a bridge over water with nothing more than a waist-high metal or concrete guardrail; when you're in a truck, you can look right over them and almost straight down into the water. It's unnerving. You don't notice it much in sedans or sports cars, but the bigger the vehicle you drive, the more you notice.

The high rate of speed and the drivers lack of control of her vehicle was the issue here. Let's keep it real and stop blaming it on the guardrail and everything else.

You don't go over a median, through 3 lanes of traffic and get airborne after hitting a curb if you're paying attention to what you're doing and in control of your vehicle.

...a woman carrying a vanload of children...

Just how big and strong was this woman?

Also, what does this paragraph have to do wirth today's article? Just because there were children that died in an auto crash? What about all of the other kids that have died in car crashes- where are their connections?

Dave, how do you know the driver didn't suffer a heart attack or stroke?

Or maybe someone cut her off... I tire of all the judge judy's around here.

Not to mention that Dave either didn't even read the article or spaces off while reading, or couldn't interpret the video properly. She didn't hit a curb and drive through a median, she hit the median, which sent her flying towards the curb out of control, when the vehicle hit the curb it caused the vehicle to go airborne at which point there was obviously nothing she could do at that point, and the vehicle flew over top the guard rails.

I was in a car accident which put me in a wheelchair. My daughter and my 2 grandchildren and I were in a van which had broke down and my daughter was able to pull off the highway and onto the shoulder of the highway. We were waiting for a tow vehicle when, and my memory still isn't clear, a woman came across two lanes of traffic and hit us from behind. It threw the van into a rock embankment and back onto the side of the highway. That is when several of my bones shattered. Bottom line, that stretch of highway was clear with no exits or entrances onto the highway, yet a woman, came across 2 lanes of traffic and hit us. I remember one thing which will always haunt me. The woman got out of her car and started yelling I've killed the baby. Then she yelled, "I was snorting coke" and I've killed the baby." Actually, my daughter and my grandchildren were not permanently injured. The reason I'm sharing this is because you never, ever know what other drivers are doing behind the wheel. I want to be clear, I'm not insinuating the driver of the SUV was getting high. What I am saying is you never know what can happen on a highway. In a 20 mile stretch of highway, who could have predicted a car coming across two lanes of traffic and hit the only none moving vehicle. We thought we were safe because we were on the shoulder and not on the highway. My daughter allow the kids to take their seat belts off and play in the back of the van. It is only by God's grace they are alive today. This woman may have been chatting to other members in the van and lost control, because she wasn't paying attention to what was in front of her. My guess is the highway did not cause the wreck, but driver error might be to blame in this horrific accident.

I'm surprised that noone stopped that watched it unfold. I'm sure someone can explain the accident good enough to come up with a few good ideas of what happened.

Remember, in her 5 years of having her license, she had never had a problem.

Could have been a vehicle malfunction. I was thinking a tire blow out , but it does not appear so in the video. Hard to tell though.

I don't know why I clicked on this story. I really wanted to believe that none of the victims were children. I don't know why I keep doing it. May God bless this family and ease their pain and suffering.

A blow out while traveling at a normal rate of speed can shoot you right across the road. Not saying that is it but it can. I am sure there are plenty of witnesses who gave statements. We are just not yet privvy to the statements. If we find out it was high rate of speed that just compounds it................

I have thoughts similar to other commenters.

Could something have happened to the driver? I don't even like to sneeze when I'm driving. A wasp flying around is a nightmare.

Another car could have precipitated this crash and not even know it e.g. getting very close so Mrs Gonzalez thought she needed to take evasive action.

As for speed, people use some sense. The rate of speed is oftimes set by the pack. I remember getting caught in a pack, at rush hour, on a 6-lane, crossing a major bridge, bumper-to-bumper at 75 mph. . . .no slowing down, no getting away. People are crazy.

I'm surprised that noone stopped that watched it unfold.

Blake - Noone probably didn't stop because he or she was late for an appointment, or perhaps Noone was indirectly responsible for the accident and didn't want to have to admit it. However, it is strange that no one stopped who saw the accident occur. Surely there were witnesses on a busy highway at that time of day. (Spell-check...priceless.)

Yeah, if she had been going 25 mph she probably would still be alive. Providing a semi didn't hit her in the rear and knocked her over the bridge.

It doesn't matter if the person was speeding, the guard rails should be high enough to stop a semi from going over them under normal driving conditions. According to the video the guard rail doesn't appear to be over waist high which is not high enough for vehicle safety. Safe for pedestrians yes but not for vehicles. They had the same issue in Ohio once where vehicles were going over the top so they raised the guard rails and it solved the problem.

I feel for the family. With 6 other people in the vehicle talking at once I can imagine how distracted the driver might have been. I had a problem with 5 other people.

Speed plus the weight of the vehicle. SUVs weigh more than normal cars so it was easier for it to smash through the barrier.

F=ma

Science, it just works.

Bingo - you nailed it there...

It's the car's fault, the bridge, the guardrail...

Such nonsense - if a speed limit is posted it isn't there just because DOT pulled a neat looking number out of a hat. Those things are decidedly not arbitrary but based on a lot of different factors. Couple that with the apparent degraded condition of the road others have posted about (some indication that speed limit was actually 40 !) and it is clear what the cause of this is.

But most people will twist their logic into all kinds of knots to make excuses for someone ignoring a speed limit by 20 or 30 mph. Oh well - alot of people make that gamble each year that they know better and lose the bet. Anytime I read a story like this I'm just grateful that they didn't kill someone else (from another family) as collateral damage.

And I'd be willing to bet that everyone who is saying that speed was involved would be the first ones to complain about the government's so-called money making speed cameras.

It doesn't matter how high the guardrail is or isn't? They were't intended to keep every vehicle on the road surface. They are intended to be reference points so the driver can tell the edge of the roadway. Imagine how big they would have to be to keep speeding semis on the roadway. What would do to the view? Even if it were as robust as being a tunnel, drivers can manage to crash.

The low barrier did not cause the crash. A higher one would probably have done little to prevent the vehicle. The earlier article had stated that the driver had been going over 70 mph. This article has been severely rewritten and also "minimized" by making it seem more of an issue with the roadway rather than the driver.

"Accidents" are not a result of a single cause. They are the result of a chain of events. Speed, distractions, multi-tasking, poor vehicle maintenance, etc. are just some of the causes that culminate in a crash.

this was on a parkway there are not semi's on a parkway

fbo48

Speeding was the issue not the guard rail or curb or conditions. Pure speed

spot on, fbo

driving faster than conditions warrant is putting you and your passenger's lives in danger

...this accident is tragic proof

Correct! Right away they look for something other than driver error...My thoughts and prayers are with this man and the family...However, the road lays there and does nothing, drivers on the other hand, cause the crashes, the deaths the terrible sadness......God Bless all

Brings to mind a story a while ago....Woman driving minivan full of kids the wrong way on some parkway....from family picnic location to her home....killed herself, the kids and 3 people in the car she head-on crashed into, A father, son and grandfather just driving home.....Her relatives blamed everything but her drinking and smoking dope and a line or two of coke....

Wow! You must have been there to predict that!

Some of you are insensitive pos's. Whether it was driver error, vehicle malfunction or whatever, there is no call for the Darwin remarks and insults. There were innocent children on board that were killed. I have seen people sitting at traffic lights doing nothing wrong, only to have their vehicles plowed into by someone else. I would say I hope it happens to the insult hurlers on here, but I don't.

Alverant ..(#2.2)..."Speed plus the weight of the vehicle. SUVs weigh more than normal cars so it was easier for it to smash through the barrier.

F=ma

Science, it just works."

The Minivan went AIRBORNE.....never touched the guardrail....That's the science that works..."What goes up, must come down"....too bad the down was 50 feet below where the up started....

Don't be jealous Bev.

Jealous of Obama's ugly face?

I'll tell you exactly what happened inside the van and out. I will also tell you exactly what the real cause of the accident was and who's fault it is and why.

Actually, NO I WON'T BECAUSE I WASN'T THERE!!!!! Neither were any of you! It amazes me how people just look at the end results and make conclusions. Oh, the guard rail was too short, there was a curb there, the van was over loaded, texting, Aliens? I don't think so. There are these people called accident investigators. They investigate accidents. They look at skid marks, dents, talk to witnesses, get toxicology reports, autopsy reports, and then they make scientific conclusions based on all of the information that they get. They do not read one article on MSNBC and decide what happened.

Sheesh!

what if they look at our comments for real facts? huh huh

there is no call for the Darwin remarks and insults. There were innocent children on board that were killed.

All the more reason to point out how stupid that some people are. There were also innocent adults on board that were killed as well. The driver was reported to be doing over 70 mph on a twisty stretch of road. Every person who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle is responsible for EVERY person in the vehicle - no matter how young or old the passengers are. Speeding doesn't show a high degree of responisbility. Imagine if the accident had happened at the posted limit (despite what caused the accident) how much less would have been the death/injuries.

But looking at the positive side of this incident - she didn't take out any other motorists/people.

Or zoo animals.

I believe the ads are selected by software that scans the stories for key words instead of being selected by humans.

I think a bigger problem here is that you're still getting ads on this site. Try a browser with a decent blocker; I'm only using Firefox and I don't see any ads on this page.

Yes, it is such a huge and ongoing problem. Damn advertisements are ruining my life...

Popup blockers are free, google the term. Mine came with Firefox.

My comment came with sarcasm.

If I were to guess, hydroplaning. It was raining this week right?

No. Yesterday was beautiful weather in the northeast.

You're right about not speculating. Leave that to the armchair engineers.

May God bless this family and bring them home.

The problem here was high rate of speed (it was estimated that the vehicle was traveling at least 70 MPH) and drivers lack of control over her vehicle.

Add to the equation 7 people in an already heavy SUV, gross weight, speed and it's fairly easy to see they couldn't defy the laws of physics.

Exactly...

NYC parkways can be deadly when you're pushing 20 mph over the posted speed. They can be narrow and winding. They were designed as PARKWAYS for leisurely drives out of the city back when cars could barely do 70 mph. They are not the super speedways the horsepower obsessed want to treat them as... every so often they bite back in an unforgiving manner. The real story is the lack of serious enforcement against the speeding, menacing, and perpetually distracted drivers. The real story is how miraculous it is that this kind of nonsense isn't a daily occurrence...

There is actually a highway patrol station about 1/4 mile on the northbound side of the BRP.

It actually sounds like this woman and part of her family might have been illegal immigrants......Why are these people even here ?

Is there a lot of political strife in the Dominican Republic?

jw101, why does it "sound" like they were?

explain

Because their name ended with "ez"

Ahh, a sure sign of being "illegal".

Comments like #5.5 are the sure sign of an idiot troll.

redphish, I think he was being sarcastic to post 5.3. At least I think he was. jw101 seems to sense illegal immigrants from afar, and I'd like to know the secret.

How can an eyewitness know exactly how fast a vehicle is moving? That's ridiculous.

The wife was 45 yrs old and had her license 5 years....6 of the Hispanic family's kids lives in the U.S. ?

If they WREN'T ILLEGAL, why the heck were they in the U.S. ? Did they invest $500k into a new business? Did they have special skills that no other American could replicate? Or were they just another group of sloppy Hispanics that we allowed into our country so they could bless us with their screwups?

That's an embarrassing post jw101. Do you know nothing of the USA's immigration policy, and the difference between people's status? Are you saying that if a person is originally from a Hispanic country, then they are illegal? Go on, wow me with YOUR own country's policies. I will bet you don't know.

Hint: Start your google search with the term Green Card

Oh wait, you pointed out how long she had her license. I guess you also should get around your own country a little more. In NYC, many people don't bother driving. You can get anywhere in the area without a car.

wryview, I thought that too. I have to question that number. And now people here are repeating it as fact. Unless this witness had their own radar, I don't see how they put such a precise number to the speed. To say they were going faster than everyone else fine. But I don't see where 70 came from.

A) It was the husband of the driver, not the grandfather,

B) He just lost his wife and daughter; what more context do you need?

Mike..(#7)..."not sure why a curb exists either"

It is an elevated roadway....a bridge....curbs are necessary to control drainage of rain water to the drains....look at the side of any bridge you drive over and you'll see the same thing and a guardrail just about the same height.....Also there is a sidewalk on that particular span....And the height of the rail looks to be about 42" which is what is required for pedestrian sidewalks....

OK editing my comment because I see the article does identify the make of the vehicle as a Honda Pilot. But earlier articles identified it as a van. My bad.

Um, no? The Honda Pilot is most definitely an SUV.

My heart aches for this family. I'll be praying for them. What was the speed limit on that road anyway?

Btw. The Honda Pilot is a faux SUV that is based on a modified version of the Honda Odyssey minivan chassis, to give it it's "Car" like ride. So is the Acura MDX. Either way, unfortunately no vehicle had good odds of keeping it's passengers from critical or fatal injuries in a crash involving this kind of speed and drop on it's roof. Being that SUVs are higher up than standard cars, a near fully loaded SUV will cause the guard-rail to be less effective in keeping it on the road. This is why the lower center of gravity of a car is better for city and highway driving. It's also one of the many reasons I have never owned SUVs. I prefer better handling over height.

"Do we really hate SUVs that much?"

You know, I'm just going to say it. Yes, yes I do.

They're fuel-inefficient, almost always larger, roomier and heavier than you need (especially if you live in a dense urban area like Brooklyn) and a meanace to other drivers as well as pedestrians. Nothing scares me on the road so much as a soccer mom swerving on the highway because she's distracted by the entire TEAM she's hauling around.

All cars are dangerous, yes. But Americans need to start making more responsible choices when it comes to considering safety. Because SUVs have gotten so much bigger, state and federal regulations for highway safety haven't kept up. Crash test ratings adjusted based on the fact that SUVs are taller and much heavier were only implemented LAST YEAR. I was riding with my mother last year in her Acadia and she literally almost ran over a car on her right because she couldn't see it out her window. I'm an adult, but if I was standing right next to the car, she wouldn't be able to see me through the window either. That's just not right.

And what's the point? People claim that these vehicles make them feel safer. But why is that when they also encourage drivers to drive too fast, to hog the road, to not pay attention and to buy and haul around more and more stuff? We don't need it, and we're using up our limited supply of oil faster than ever thanks to people being selfish and egotistical about what car they buy. Why not put all the extra money into good, healthy and safe public transportation? Why not put it toward a more expensive house closer to work, reducing commuting times? Why don't we ever seem to make the right choices?

So yes, I hate SUVs. And I'm not going to be shamed into surrenduring the argument on this. I've been called un-American, but I don't see what's so un-American about wanting to protect American citizens, even from themselves.

@CJ2001013,

I have to agree with you on several points. I'm not necessarily anti-SUV, but I agree that most people just buy them because of non-reasons. I know at least a dozen people who do not have children, or dogs, or trailers, or boats, or even a big load of junk to haul, who drive huge SUVs because of the perceived safety. Most modern cars sit much higher, and SUVs now have lower bumpers, that it does not matter as much in a collision as it used to. Newer cars have been over-engineered to compensate for SUVs running over them, and in a car you can avoid a wreck MUCH more easily thanks to better handling and more responsive braking. My sister has an SUV, a car-based crossover actually, but when she was pregnant she discovered that it was a pain in the butt to get in and out of it, so she went back to a normal car! I drove my cousin's mammoth SUV one day and even though it is made by the same manufacturer as my car (Audi), the braking was unnerving as it felt like it took about 50% longer to stop than my car! I'm not saying let's burn all the SUVs, but I will agree there is simply no need for most people to have them other than their lame excuses and love of burning fuel so they can complain about it later...

On the topic of the story though, I am deeply sorry for all of the families involved in this wreck and it is my hope that people will pay attention to this and be more careful!!

Nobody has to justify their vehicle purchases with you. It is not just that people have the right to the vehicle of their choice, but also that most people choose larger, roomy vehicles. The Ford F150 is the top selling vehicle in the US. Has been most years since world war II. The large Chevy pickup is usually #2, and so on. "Best selling CAR....is misleading, since cars are handily outsold by pickups.

Why? They are safer, carry more people and cargo, ride better, handle well, stop well and are much more satisfying to drive. "No...small cars handle better..." No, no they don't. Will a pickup win LeMans? probably not, but are you driving flat out for 24 hours, or are you negotiating rough streets, stop and go traffic and long trips? Just so you know...the FIA will not allow pickups in LeMans. If they did....I'd try it.

What other people buy to drive is absolutely none of your business. We have plenty of oil right here in the US. There is no alternative fuel vehicle that is ready to step right up without huge government subsidies and take over. The Chevy Volt assembly line has been suspended indefinitely for poor sales. Hint Hint Hint.

The Chevy Volt assembly line has been suspended indefinitely for poor sales.

I have to wonder where you're getting your information there sport. The line started back up a week earlier than planned.

http://www.hybridcars.com/news/chevy-volt-production-line-restarts-week-early-44522.html

Steve, you didn't read his post at all!

And he's not saying anyone has to justify it with him. He's just saying they're acting against their own best interests, ie; they're stupid.

But be my guest and accelerate us to $7 gas. Most people are using 3-4 empty seats to drive a distance they could bicycle. It's stupid, plain and simple.

The Grandfather was probably thinking, "what the F is my daughter doing???", because he WAS NOT driving.
Try comprehending what you read, prior to making your foolish comments next time.

I'm betting the ultimate cause of this crash was gravity. If they would make laws that would make gravity weaker, the SUV wouldn't have hit the ground as hard and the family may have survived.

myopinion13, you are exactly right. This is a tragedy and until the investigation is complete, the family of all of the deceased need comfort and support and not accusations against the driver of the vehicle.

Wait for the results of the investigation? What? You mean you don't want to mouth off authoritatively from a computer keyboard 1,000 miles away from where the incident occured?

Chris, I'm only a couple hundred miles away, so I think that makes me a bit more qualified to jump to conclusions ... ;)

I'm less than 50 miles, so I MUST know what happened. :)

Again, a tragedy we can place squarely on the shoulders of George Bush.

This is a tragedy and until the investigation is complete, the family of all of the deceased needs to get the heck out of the United States and protect us all from the next Hipanic island native trying to drive in our cities.

Chris, I'm only a couple hundred miles away, so I think that makes me a bit more qualified to jump to conclusions ... ;)

I'm less than 50 miles, so I MUST know what happened. :)

I live under the bridge. You're both wrong and I stole all their shoes.

Yeah jw101, I was rear-ended by a white woman from the United States last year; this is obvious proof that we need to send all white women back where they originally came from--Europe.

I was able to hustle 2 lions out of the way so they wouldn't be crushed.

jw101 was rear ended by 2 Hispanics once.

Hopefully he has a strong faith. Without it, he has nothing.

Had a great uncle that died of a heart attack while driving. He was in his early 60's.

At first I thought they took a shortcut through the Zoo and the lions got them. Good thing we are getting the real cause soon.

Wait center man. Aren't SUVs evil? Shouldn't they all be outlawed like firearms and trans fat?

Centerman...that is complete bull. In fact, most Full size American SUVs use heavier, old fashion Body on Frame chassis and would have crushed the roof even worse. Most SUV roofs aren't designed to hold the weight of the heavy under-body because they don't have built-in rollover cages. For example, the Jeep Wrangler has roll over cage built in. But, no SUV or Car would have done well in that crash. But at least a car would have been lower to the ground and had better odds of being stopped from flying off the roadway by the barriers.

Oh bull...

American SUV-things were absolute piles of crap and would never stand up to a crash before "foreign" automakers forced the issue with their own models. As usual, in 1998 Mercedes-Benz was the first to introduce an SUV with safety in mind throughout its development. It did turn out to be unreliable, but it at least handled well, stopped well, and the bumpers matched the height of most cars. Look up the crash test ratings of a Blazer, Exploder, or even a Grand Cherokee of the same year. Not too impressive. BMW and Volvo subsequently followed suit with their first SUVs, and the Honda Pilot that these people were in is a great choice for safety, aside from being a big heavy SUV (although it does weigh less and is less likely to flip than many American SUVs). The laws of physics would not have helped anyone in any vehicle who flipped over this guard rail, but they may have helped keep someone in a proper car on the road instead.

American SUVs are safer now than they used to be, but they are not any safer than something from Europe, Japan, or South Korea, so your comment has no meaning.

The problem is that people drive their SUV's thinking they handle like a Porsche. They are heavy, especially when loaded with people and cargo. Once the tires break from the road surface, it's tough to get it back in control. Pilot is a pretty "safe" vehicle and has a fairly wide wheelbase or else it probably would have flipped right away.

Remember the commercials that came out a few years ago about the "Essuvee"? These were absolutely ridiculous, but they did express a valid point. These vehicles are not cars!

I really feel for the Father. What an insurmountable loss. I would question my ability to go no as well.

The wheelbase is the distance from the front wheels to the rear. "Wide" does not describe it. Long describes it. The track is the distance from side to side. Wide fits there. The pilot (as clearly seen in the photos) has no frame, and is a "unibody" car made of stamped steel. If it is in a front-hit crash, it crumples nicely, protecting the occupants. If anything else happens, the framed vehicle is much better. A 100 ft fall will wreck a smartcar or a Semi, no matter what. This vehicle has clearly not had the roof cave in. It landed on the side. The impact was devastating.

SUV implies a frame, and the capacity for 4 wheel drive. Manufacturers deliberately confuse most vehicles actual function, to enhance sales. Pickup buyers can instantly recognize their choice in the showroom. Many other people are obviously dazed by marketing. The Honda Pilot has absolutely NO capabilities as an SUV. None what-so-ever.

You are correct Steve, I was going for wide stance, but erroneously used wheelbase. I don't know that I agree that the term SUV implies that a frame is present. Many of these vehicles use molded frame technologies, like the Chevy Trailblazer, and I believe the Ford Explorer. I sense you are an SUV purist, and agree that the roots of the SUV going back to the International Scout, Land rover and even the original Blazer were very much trucks rather than oversize cars.

From that height with that weight and speed, a Volvo's roof would have collapsed and killed everyone. Had they been in an Outback, it wouldn't have gone over the rails. It's next to impossible to roll a Subaru Outback or Forrester SUV. Their lower centers of gravity makes it difficult for that accident to occur. All SUVs have high centers of gravity, too high for safety.

In America SUVs are built on truck chassis and therefore don't have to meet the same safety standards as cars. That's why they have such bad safety records. For this reason they're usually a bad purchase idea: you may think they're safe and you feel safe, but you're at higher risk of rolling over than in any car. And at much lower speeds. There's that high center of gravity again.