Mother of LIRR gap fatality Smead commits suicide

This is so sad all around. I believe this mother was not long for the world after losing her only child, report or not. I think that being so close to getting a large amount of money because her daughter died probably drove her to this more than the report.

This is no doubt a tragedy, but for the sleazy lawyer from Garden City (Bob Sullivan) to blame the NTSB's factual report for the mothers suicide is incomprehensible.

"Bob Sullivan, the Garden City attorney who represented Smead's parents, said the family decided to speak about Perry's death to highlight the damage they feel was caused by the NTSB report, which they said wrongly blamed Smead for the accident."

What a crock! The NTSB simply reported the TRUTH. Natalie was illegally drinking, underage, and was falling down drunk.(Nearly 3 times the legal limit for adults, though her legal limit was zero, given her age).

She fell into a narrow, 7 7/8 inch gap (almost an inch more narrow than the width of a standard sheet of copy paper.) The train was stopped, she was not seriously injured or in any danger. Her would be rescuers ordered her to stay put, until they could pull her out, but she ignored them and crawled onto the next track, in the path of an oncoming train, causing her own death.

This was not a "gap fatality" case. The infamous gap was incidental. As drunk as she was, she could have just as easily fallen off the platform into the path of a train, are stumbled into traffic and been killed by an automobile.

Perhaps if her parents had taken responsibility for not properly teaching their child about the dangers of underage drinking and public drunkeness, instead of obsessively going after the totally innocent (in this case, anyway) LIRR, the mother might have recovered emotionally.

Also, I have to wonder how much Newsday's yellow journalism, in creating a "gap crisis" that does not exist, might have contributed to the mother's obsession and suicide.

This was a tragic, but sadly, run of the mill case of teenage drunkeness leading to death. Newsday, apparently seeking to sell more papers, irresponsibly turned it into a "gap crisis" and has needlessly cost the taxpayers and MTA riders millions and millions of dollars, and perhaps contributed to this woman's depression and death.

O wells..

The girl wa shammered SHE made that mistake.

The mom killing herself, be it sad should not be labeled because the NTSB report.

You think she is the only mom to lose a daughter in this world?

Where she is now is very warm and i hope she enjoys it.

if i was part of that family id be couting my new found duckets (even more now they dont have to be shared with that selfish mother)

Poopshoot wrote:

I didnt see in the article how she killed herself...anyone, anyone?

She probably walked along an LIRR platform and waited for one of those "deadly gaps" to reach out, grab her, pull her in and swallow her up. If you read Newday, you know that sort of thing happens all the time.

Was too drunk to comprehend what her friends and an LIRR train conductor were advising her to do. Plus she wasn't even of legal drinking age.

Poopshoot wrote:

I didnt see in the article how she killed herself...anyone, anyone?

jumped in front of train.

Poopshoot wrote:

I didnt see in the article how she killed herself...anyone, anyone?

guess you don't read thoroughly. last paragraph eagle eyes....

Ca mu na t Disorganizer wrote:

This is no doubt a tragedy, but for the sleazy lawyer from Garden City (Bob Sullivan) to blame the NTSB's factual report for the mothers suicide is incomprehensible.

Agreed, the girl was at fault because of her condition. May sound heartless, but it is factual...

Poopshoot wrote:

I didnt see in the article how she killed herself...anyone, anyone?

"Sixteen days later, Perry hanged herself at a friend's house in Wheatland Township, Minn. The Rice County medical examiner listed the causes of death as asphyxia and depression"

How selfish can you get? Killing yourself at at friend's house and by HANGING??? Real nice, making your friends find your lifeless body, hanging from their ceiling. The poor friends will probably remember her hanging there, every time the enter that room.

ETR wrote:

<quoted text>
Agreed, the girl was at fault because of her condition. May sound heartless, but it is factual...

Coming from Port jeff ive seen dozens of shows and games at msg and we party like rock stars on train how much a dope have you got to be to fall into a gap?

booze + gap = headless concert going

I'm sure the father has consulted his lawyer about now suing for the mother's death.

Watch the Gap wrote:

<quoted text>
"Sixteen days later, Perry hanged herself at a friend's house in Wheatland Township, Minn. The Rice County medical examiner listed the causes of death as asphyxia and depression"
How selfish can you get? Killing yourself at at friend's house and by HANGING??? Real nice, making your friends find your lifeless body, hanging from their ceiling. The poor friends will probably remember her hanging there, every time the enter that room.

Since when is depression a cause of death? lol

Watch the Gap wrote:

<quoted text>
"Sixteen days later, Perry hanged herself at a friend's house in Wheatland Township, Minn. The Rice County medical examiner listed the causes of death as asphyxia and depression"
How selfish can you get? Killing yourself at at friend's house and by HANGING??? Real nice, making your friends find your lifeless body, hanging from their ceiling. The poor friends will probably remember her hanging there, every time the enter that room.

ughh
story wouldve been better jumping in front of a train.

but on a side note so true about her being a selfish *%@#

Slappy Sanchez wrote:

I'm sure the father has consulted his lawyer about now suing for the mother's death.

Were the mother and father still married? They have different last names. If they were, you are probably right.

I think we have all learned a very valuable lesson here, don't stick your head in front of a speeding train.

Slappy Sanchez wrote:

I'm sure the father has consulted his lawyer about now suing for the mother's death.

I bet he sues the friend's homeowners carrier...

While I feel bad I also don't because she refused to admit that her own daughter held the overwhelming majority of responsibility for her own death. The mom wasn't able to cope with this and instead blames the RR, and now the scumbag lawyer layes blame on the NSTB for the mothers suicide. That's class! I hope the lawyer is next.

Al Kahalik wrote:

I think we have all learned a very valuable lesson here, don't stick your head in front of a speeding train.

OR try to see if the pipes in the basement can hold up a human body suspended from the neck.

2 very good lessons i think we all can admit too learning

Suing for $5 million and only getting $1.5? After paying off lawyers, what's left? I hate to say it, but it's true - the jury found her mostly to blame, so they award accordingly. However sad it is, the facts are the facts. It's not fair to blame the NTSB - they just stated the facts. No matter which way her daughter died, this mother would have been suicidal.