wow, this is ONE LUCKY DUDE

unbelievable - a train hit his car and he survived. i am ALL for retesting the elderly on their driving abilities. my dad is up there and he's doing fine so far (goes WAY too slowly though) but i do monitor him.

Car's Driver Survives Crash With Train
By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN
Courant Staff WriterDecember 18 2005

An elderly Hartford man escaped serious injury Saturday when his car crashed through the barrier at a railroad crossing in the city and was struck by a fast-moving passenger train, police said.Curtis Anderson of Wilson Street was trapped in his demolished Honda Civic for 20 minutes while emergency personnel worked to free him. But police and witnesses said he never lost consciousness and was alert and talking the entire time. He was in stable condition later Saturday at Hartford Hospital.Investigators have not determined why Anderson failed to stop at the crossing, said Hartford police Sgt. Dan Albert. Anderson's exact age was unclear Saturday. Motor vehicle records indicate he is 80, the age police gave for him Saturday. But voting and other records show his age as 77.The impact tore apart the front of Anderson's car, scattering pieces 150 yards down the tracks and leaving his engine in a twisted heap. Anderson was alone in the vehicle when the train struck the passenger side. Police said anyone in the passenger seat would probably have been killed."He's lucky," said Martin Hernandez, who lives in a house adjacent to the train crossing. Hernandez said he heard the train's whistle as it approached and then the thunderous boom of the collision. He said he rushed out of the house, fearing the worst."But when I got there, he was alive," Hernandez said. "He was just asking, `What happened? What happened?' I said, `Don't worry. The police are coming.'"...........