Sometimes a story takes a turn and requires some reevaluation.
I hope now people consider the real lesson of the Memorial Day minivan/train crash in Elm Grove.
When that horrible crash occurred, when Monica Ensley-Partenfelder stopped her minivan carrying her 2-year-old son ON train tracks in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I said that was terrible judgment. You should never stop your vehicle on railroad tracks. NEVER.
At the time, the media's emphasis was on the heroics of the father, Scott Partenfelder, and the Elm Grove police officer, John Krahn, who tried to free the little boy and were seriously injured in the process. The child was not injured.
While the men did behave heroically, I was uncomfortable with the fact that the incident occurred in the first place. It was completely avoidable.
I think it was a mistake for the media to cover the story almost exclusively as a tale of heroism without also covering the stupidity angle.
A summer has passed since the crash. Finally, it's time to address the reality of what happened and why it did.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Elm Grove police have issued traffic tickets against both Monica Ensley-Partenfelder and her husband, Scott, who were driving separate cars May 25 when a train smashed into her vehicle.
Ensley-Partenfelder was ticketed because her car was stopped on railroad tracks, in violation of a state law that says no one can stop or leave unattended a vehicle within 25 feet of a railroad crossing. The ticket carries a $63 forfeiture, but no points are assessed.
Scott Partenfelder should not have been driving because his license was revoked after a 1994 traffic accident, Elm Grove Police Assistant Chief Gus Moulas said in a statement. Partenfelder was ticketed for operating after revocation of his driver's license, a citation that carries a $361 forfeiture and a three-point penalty.
What the hell?
Partenfelder hasn't had a valid license for 15 years?
According to TMJ4:
Through the investigation, Elm Grove Police learned Scott Partenfelder hasn't had a valid driver's license since 1994. Court records show he was in two accidents in the 1990s and didn't pay approximately $13,000 in damages.
So for failing to pay $13,000 he owed in damages in two accidents and then driving around since 1994 without a license, Partenfelder gets off with a three-point penalty and a $361 citation.
That's a very sweet deal for him.
And Ensley-Partenfelder only pays a $63 fine for her part in the crash.
That's a sweet deal for her, too.
Police say at the time of the crash, the train was operating within guidelines. The crossing gates and Monica's car were both in proper working condition.
If the couple were hoping to sue Canadian Pacific or the manufacturer of the minivan, that won't be happening.
Ensley-Partenfelder has no one to blame for the crash but herself. She was reckless and she could have killed herself, her child, her husband, and a police officer.
It's time that Partenfelder pay his debts. It's not at all OK that he just blew off the $13,000 he owes and spent 15 YEARS driving around without a license.
If the media still want to play up the hero story line though, they do have one -- Officer Krahn.
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