Stamford risks a triple tragedy
Two years ago, on Jan. 2, my wife, Lynette Hanlon Wagner was killed while walking to work. It was early, perhaps just past 7 a.m. Lynette had woken early that first workday of 2018. She took the train from Fairfield Metro to Stamford. It was about a mile walk to Henkel USA at Elm and North State streets.
I am not sure what route she took that day. What I do know is it was a cold morning, in the single digits. Four days later, on Jan. 6, 2018, the temperature never got out of single digits. It was truly the coldest day of the year, and figuratively the coldest day of my life. On that day, my family, her family, our children, our many friends and her colleagues buried Lynette.
Lynette was killed while crossing the street, with a green light at Elm and North State. She was killed by a person in a hurry. A person, who should have seen her, who should have looked right, but did not. A person, in a hurry to make a right turn on red so he could get to his workday on Long Island. I know that drive, I know that drive because I have done it hundreds of times. If it was me driving, I would be in a hurry, because the quicker I finish the quicker I can return to my family. I too have been in a hurry, but I never killed a person. He was in such a hurry that this man made sure Lynette would never again return to her family or friends.
Lynette’s body was crushed. She made it to the hospital but died of a massive heart attack. That is the logical result of an illogical collision: when you hit a human being with a threeton work van, it is always a violent and brutal catastrophe. When the operator of a hunk of steel, inattentive and in a hurry, crushes a human: That is a tragedy. Her internal organs were damaged so badly that the donor agency asked me if they could use Lynette’s skin and eyes for transplanting. The rest of her organs were unsuitable to function in another human. A double tragedy.
The City of Stamford, and any other traffic agency that oversees pedestrian safety, be it state or federal, needs to ensure there is not a triple tragedy. I sporadically visit the Henkel building. Not to go in the building, nor on a workday. On a Saturday or Sunday, when it is quiet, I spend a few minutes of solitude and healing near a bench in the Henkel open public space. There, on the oneyear anniversary of Lynette’s death, her colleagues placed a bench to honor her as friend and teammate. Afterward, I walk to the corner of her violent and brutal death, hoping to feel her presence. Even after two years, a person with as much energy as Lynette had, I hope to feel her spirit, if just for a moment.
Stamford made some changes following Lynette’s death. The city erected a large visible sign that is lit, warning drivers of pedestrians. This sign is illuminated when the southbound lane on Elm Street is green. When Lynette entered the intersection, that light was red, and the sign is nonexistent when the light is red. Sometimes I revisit the
Lynette was killed while crossing the street, with a green light at Elm and North State. She was killed by a person in a hurry.
intersection. Standing where Lynette was killed, on the northeast corner of North State Street. I pushed the walk button and waited for the walk signal. Walking West, I realized something was wrong. I had the indicator meaning it was safe to cross. At the same time, any motorist exiting I95 also had a green light/arrow letting them know it was safe to make a right turn to head north on Elm Street. The pedestrians and the motor vehicles have traffic signals indicating it is safe to proceed. The same condition exists crossing Elm Street, walking west. I am tempted to call it Nightmare on Elm Street, but we awaken from our nightmares.
That is the triple tragedy. A city government not learning from their mistakes. The dangerous intersection persists. Changes to the intersection are superficial. Lynette is dead, life is not fair, my family/her friends have suffered immensely. Nothing I can do will erase the heartbreak or tragedy of that early January morning. Even without mentioning the incredible pain that Lynette experienced. What would be more unfair and tragic? What if there were to be another Lynette? Another person, working for their family. Headed to work, or maybe home. A person following the rules of being a pedestrian. And yet, because they are doing that, they also are involved in a collision. That would be a tragedy, one more person who never got the chance to say goodbye to his or her family. One more human, one more body being crushed. In my life, my family’s life, our friends and her colleagues there will never be another Lynette, she was robbed of her future with her friends and family. I am hoping that the City of Stamford makes more than a minimal effort to ensure there is never another Lynette. That would be another indelible stain on the City of Stamford. The stain of a tripletragedy.