New Britain herald., 1927-07-29
TRAIN KICKS TRUCK l OVER CR0SSINGB BAR. Reduces Machine to Scrap But
 Driver Escapes Injury BANANAS LITTER HIGHWAY
Tony Alpier's Machine Sl1ids Onto Rails as Hartford Bound Local Comes Along and Knocks 1t Into Little Pieces.

Tony Alpieri. aged 27. Of 1se Washington avenue, New Haven. driving an automobile truck loaded with bananas, crashed through the gates at the Smalley street railroad crossing shortly after 7:30 o'clock this morning and escaped with abra- sions about the left side of the body and face and painful injury to his back. when a Hartford bound pas- senger train demolished the truck. Picking himself up out of the wreckage, Alpieri walked a few hundred feet up the street and sat down, apparently dazed and unable to comprehend what had happened. He was taken to New Britain Gen. eral hospital where his injuries were found not serious
 Skids Through Gate. John Coffey. veteran supernumer- ary policeman was doing duty at the crossing when the train .Illed out of the railroad station. At the flash of his signal. he lowered the gates. doing so as Alpieri's truck laden with bananas came easterly ,, on Smalley street. The New Haven driver evidently saw the gates be- ing lowered for he applied his brakes some distance from the crossover, causing the car to swerve slightly.
 Coffey's theory ot the accident is that the back tires. which were without sufficient thread to grip, skidded on the still moist macadam causing Alpieris truck to crash into the north side of the gate. which by that time had been fully lowered, and when the driver saw his attempt to keep off the track were futile, Coffey believes he step ped on the gas In an effort to clear before the northbound train bore down on him.
 Truck Tossed Over Gate.
 The gateman who had been shout ing frantically in the hope of warn ing Alpieri heard an oninous crash a moment later and the heavy GMC truck was hoisted several feet in the air and thrown completely over the iron standard of the northeast gate. So great was the impact that truck buried its rear end into the soft earth completely hiding from view much of the frame and body. Bananas flew in every direction.
 Machine Demolished.
 Tae crash came on the side of the truck opposite that occupied by the driver and this fact contributed to his escape from death. The heavy body was torn loose from the frame, which was bent entirely out of shape Beth rear wheels were tom of and rolled into a nearby lot. The scat occupied by the driver. the floor boards. and the driving wheel were sma shed into kindling and the top ot the truck telescoped and fell flat on the wreckage.
 Motorcycle Policemen William S. Strolls and Patrolman Thomas Do- Ian were sent to do duty at the crossing.
 This afternoon. Alpieri was dis, charged from the hospital and went to his home.
 Crowd Criticizes Police
 Relative to criticism at the delay in sending the police ambulance ol service car to the scene Of the ac- cident, It was said at police head quarters this afternoon that both cars were out when the call was re- ceived. It was impossible to reacf them or this account. It came tc Chief Earts attention that the crowd at the scene of the accident criticized the police very severely for not responding more quickly but he pointed out that the criticism was not deserved.