No business behind the wheel!
By ParaTed2k
@ParaTed2k (22940)
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
August 27, 2009 3:53am CST
Monica Ensley-Partenfelder and her 2 year old son were in a car following her husband to a Memorial Day Parade. They stopped at a railroad crossing because the lights were flashing. The man decided he could make it so he hit the gas... his wife didn't want to "lose" him, so she headed across the tracks too... the car ended up stuck on the tracks.
A cop on traffic detail saw what was going on, he ran up to the car yelling for her to get out. He tried to get the door open to pull the child (secured in a car seat) out to safety... he never got the door open.
The 94 car train barrelled into the the car, full speed. When the wreckage of her car settled, the boy was pulled, unharmed... (the car seat brand should use that incident in their advertizing) :~D
The hero of this story is the cop. He had no official responsibility to put himself in danger to save the child.. but he did anyway.
As it turns out, the mother and her husband were cited for crossing the tracks against the lights. Scott Ensley-Partenfelder was also cited... he didn't have a license. It was revoked back in 1994.
Ensley-Partenfelder had no business behind the wheel. He further flaunted the law by an illegal crossing against the lights. Mrs. Ensley-Partenfelder was also guilty of being where she didn't belong, putting her son in danger while she was at it.
There are good lessons to be learned about being where we don't belong, doing what we have no business doing... and the consequences when we try.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/55164717.html
2 people like this
9 responses
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
27 Aug 09
I was rearended by a drunk driver who didn't have a license because it was suspended for drunk driving. He got time in sobriety classes for that. Day after that court case, I saw him driving around again with the full knowledge that he didn't have a license. In due time he got stopped a couple more times for driving on a suspended license and for drunk driving and eventually they couldn't make any more deals with him about taking classes - not because of his record, but because he decided he'd rather go to jail that take sobriety classes or do rehab.
Taking someone's license seems to mean nothing to people. They go right ahead and drive anyway.
Any mother who drives onto train tracks with her kids in the car is insane. If her husband is going to be a moron and drive onto the tracks, she at least should not be moronic enough to follow him.
They both should have been cited not only for the danger they put the child in, but the danger they put the train and its passengers in.
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
30 Aug 09
Just think, if this person's last name was Kennedy, he would enjoy support and a long senate career.
If his name was Obama, it wouldn't matter if he was driving legally, or had any authority to be behind the wheel. Those of us who question it would be made fun of.
2 people like this
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
27 Aug 09
Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when they do something like this, it's like all common sense has eluded a lot of people lately and only seem to think of the here and now instead of the final consequences.
Dumbest thing anyone could do is try to outrun a train!
Makes me wonder if the child will be taken from his family?
They're lucky they survived. I guess in that situation I would rather pay the consequences that they have to pay and know what they did and why they are in trouble for it instead of paying the consequences and never have a second chance to look back and say...."wow, that was the dumbest thing I've ever done!!"
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
30 Aug 09
Just think, if this person's last name was Kennedy, he would enjoy support and a long senate career.
If his name was Obama, it wouldn't matter if he was driving legally, or had any authority to be behind the wheel. Those of us who question it would be made fun of.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
27 Aug 09
The mother should lose her license and be arrested for child endangerment. I'm disgusted by people like that.
On a side note suspending someone's license means nothing to most of these people. I remember a few years back in Buffalo, NY they did a sting operation where they sent out mailings to people with suspended licenses telling them where they could go to get free Bills tickets. Of those who showed up for tickets almost 90% of them drove themselves. Naturally, those people received no tickets and were arrested on the spot. Well, except for the one guy who recognized an undercover cop out front and took off leading to a nice police chase.
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
30 Aug 09
Just think, if this person's last name was Kennedy, he would enjoy support and a long senate career.
If his name was Obama, it wouldn't matter if he was driving legally, or had any authority to be behind the wheel. Those of us who question it would be made fun of.
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
27 Aug 09
That's actually funny! I take it that they didn't give very many free Bill's tickets out?!
If the mother loses her license, she'll probably be like her husband and drive anyways.
You would think that someone like her husband who had a suspended license but driving anyway wouldn't take any kind of chance and obey any and every driving law possible. I guess there are people out there that don't really care what they do as long as they get what they need done.
1 person likes this
@kezabelle (2974)
•
27 Aug 09
I think that is appalling! that poor poor child why would any parent want to put their child in danger like that, she would not have lost her husband if she had waited at the tracks all he had to do was pull up somewhere safe and wait for her my god what idiots!
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
30 Aug 09
Just think, if this person's last name was Kennedy, he would enjoy support and a long senate career.
If his name was Obama, it wouldn't matter if he was driving legally, or had any authority to be behind the wheel. Those of us who question it would be made fun of.
1 person likes this
@Palmerhusky (843)
• United States
27 Aug 09
Sadly its not just laws like needing a license that's not suspended in to drive that's ignored these days. I see people Litter all the time, yet its against the law, i see Jaywalking which is against the law. I see people forcing pedestrians to wait in the middle of the street while they force their turn on them and yet, the traffic laws definitely state that pedestrians have the right of way. I also see people that think that the speed limit on the road are suggestions they can take or leave, and they leave it more often then not...Yet they wonder why they get tickets for doing it...cause its a law not a suggestion. I know one person that does pot and swears up and down that its not illegal because the government works for him and he tells them whats legal and not legal..not the other way around. People use the excuse that this is a free country and because of beliefs they have just like or similar to that pot head i know, They can do whatever they want without consequences. And yet when their caught they face definite consequences for doing it. in fact their mantra is "it's only illegal if you get caught".
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
30 Aug 09
Just think, if this person's last name was Kennedy, he would enjoy support and a long senate career.
If his name was Obama, it wouldn't matter if he was driving legally, or had any authority to be behind the wheel. Those of us who question it would be made fun of.
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
27 Aug 09
ParaTed2k,
Driving without a licence is just so rampant, that it is becoming a great and grave concern today.
This incident is just waiting to happen and would not have happened if that no good no licence bloke father did not drive.
I just feel that the traffic police today are not doing enough enforcements these days. Other than setting up speed traps on the highways and ambushing at traffic lights, I feel that they should go out full force with road blocks spot checking exercises to catch driver without a licence and drunk drivers.
I was glad that there were no tragic loss in this incident and hope that law enforcers be ever initiative enough to stop all these errant drivers from taking the wheels.
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
30 Aug 09
Just think, if this person's last name was Kennedy, he would enjoy support and a long senate career.
If his name was Obama, it wouldn't matter if he was driving legally, or had any authority to be behind the wheel. Those of us who question it would be made fun of.
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
1 Sep 09
Um... Ted Kennedy DID get away with the murder of Mary Jo Kopechne from a drunk driving incident.
If Obama isn't elible to be president, then he is getting away with "no business behind the wheel". (admittedly, a big IF).
1 person likes this
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
1 Sep 09
P.S.
Even Clinton could not get away with whatever happened under table for him, so what else when it is in the open broad daylight?!
@happy6162 (3001)
• United States
28 Aug 09
She is lucky her 2 year son is still alive. People do not think before they do something as stupid as trying to beat a train. Her husband should not have been driving a car if he lost his license but most people who do lose their license drive anyway. I hope someone gets to take care of the 2 year boy who cares about his safety.
1 person likes this
@trisha27 (3494)
• United States
27 Aug 09
Wow, yeah I would have to agree that he deserves the right not to be operating a vehicle. Especially since his license had been suspended for so long. I have seen this so many times people that have tried to beat the train and they made it. I never have been so brave to try that actually. So that's crazy even for the lady to put her child in danger like that and even on top of that got stuck on the train and couldn't open her door. I would have to say that all of them were very lucky cause it could have ended very differently.
1 person likes this
