Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make that left turn five days a week and if a car is in front of you turning left on to Braeburn Parkway as was the case in this accident, YOU CANNOT SEE oncoming traffic. It is so dangerous for both experienced and inexperienced drivers. It unfortunately was a tragic you waiting to happen.

If you can't see, you don't go. Period. You don't guess, or hope, or make a run for it. You sit there until you can see. I make a daily left turn off Route 28 that is similarly hopeless in terms of line of sight if a car is waiting to turn left from the other side, and I have sat there for upwards of 5 minutes before, waiting to be able to see a gap. It's annoying as all get-out, but when traffic is coming toward you at 50+ mph (speed limit is 40 but is routinely ignored), you can't afford to guess.

Yup. Same here. And I have sat there even when some asshole behind me has crawled up my bumper and laid on the horn. I will put the car in park and put on my flashers before I'll let someone bully me into making a turn.

What are you trying to accomplish by doing that? Have the car go around you and crash? Just ignore and wait until safe

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make that left turn five days a week and if a car is in front of you turning left on to Braeburn Parkway as was the case in this accident, YOU CANNOT SEE oncoming traffic. It is so dangerous for both experienced and inexperienced drivers. It unfortunately was a tragic you waiting to happen.

If you can't see, you don't go. Period. You don't guess, or hope, or make a run for it. You sit there until you can see. I make a daily left turn off Route 28 that is similarly hopeless in terms of line of sight if a car is waiting to turn left from the other side, and I have sat there for upwards of 5 minutes before, waiting to be able to see a gap. It's annoying as all get-out, but when traffic is coming toward you at 50+ mph (speed limit is 40 but is routinely ignored), you can't afford to guess.

Yup. Same here. And I have sat there even when some asshole behind me has crawled up my bumper and laid on the horn. I will put the car in park and put on my flashers before I'll let someone bully me into making a turn.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess you don't understand how terribly violent a car crash is . . .

No actually I don't, that is why I asked.....

Force equals mass x acceleration

4000 lbs x 60mph is a lot of force. Being hit broadside, your head snaps with enough force to break your neck. Even with airbags, it is common to hit your head on a pillar. Seatbelt keep you in your seat, but break bones and crush internal organs. And that's just the beginning.

To believe you are safe in a car that crashes even with seatbelt and airbags is a false sense of security. The help, sure. But that's all they do . . . help.

Anonymous wrote:I guess you don't understand how terribly violent a car crash is . . .

No actually I don't, that is why I asked.....

I guess you don't understand how terribly violent a car crash is . . .

I don't get how all three died from a hit and ending up in a ditch. I'm assuming the other car only hit one side. They didn't crash after, only landed in a ditch. So the airbags killed them?

So Sad. No words

Email from principal this morning.

Now that information has been released, please see below. Another email will be coming later this morning. We must join together as a community to support our students, family, and school staff.

Detectives with the Montgomery County Police Collision Reconstruction Unit are investigating a collision that occurred Saturday night that involves three fatalities.

On Saturday, February 28 at approximately 6:56 p.m., 2nd District officers and Fire and Rescue personnel responded to River Road and Pyle Road for a report of a serious collision. Investigation determined that a blue, 2016 BMW M235, operated by Ogulkan Atakoglu was traveling west (outbound) on River Road. At the same time, a gray, 2016 Chevrolet Volt, operated by Michael Buarque De Macedo, was traveling east (inbound) on River Road. As the Volt was attempting to turn left onto Pyle Road the two vehicles collided.

The four occupants in the Volt, a family of two parents and two children, were all seriously injured. Three occupants succumbed to their injuries on the scene. They are being identified as, Michael Buarque De Macedo, 52 years old, driving, Alessandra M. Buarque De Macedo, 53 years old, a rear seat passenger, and Thomas Michael Buarque De Macedo, 17 years old, the front seat passenger. Helena Buarque De Macedo, a rear seat passenger, was transported to a local trauma center with life threatening injuries. Her age cannot be confirmed at this time, but she is believed to be a teenager. Mr. and Mrs. Buarque DeMacedo lived with their son Thomas and daughter Helena in the 7000 block of Loch Lomond Drive in Bethesda.

Ogulkan Atakoglu, 20 years old, was transported to a local trauma center with non-life-threatening injuries.

What a horrible story. Looks like the father (driver), mother (rear passenger), and son (senior, front passenger) were killed and daughter (sophomore, rear passenger) is in critical condition.

Thoughts and prayers to the family.

So the driver was not a teenager but a parent. Which means it's not about inadequate requirements for teen licensing, immature brains, or most of the explanations suggested above. Responsible adults make these kinds of mistakes all the time; I know, I did once - tried to make a left turn across a very busy DC street and failed to see an oncoming car.

I wasn't texting or talking on the phone. I just pulled into a street when I shouldn't have. My kids were both young enough to be in car seats, and amazingly no one was hurt including the other driver who broadsided us. But I remember that accident every time I'm waiting to turn across a busy street or pull out into traffic, and I wait until there's not a shred of doubt that it's clear to go. I don't care who honks or whether I'm late or any of it.

Anonymous wrote:http://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2016/02/3-dead-in-horrific-car-accident-near.html?m=1

Wow. How sad, it's a family. I wonder how the daughter is doing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make that left turn five days a week and if a car is in front of you turning left on to Braeburn Parkway as was the case in this accident, YOU CANNOT SEE oncoming traffic. It is so dangerous for both experienced and inexperienced drivers. It unfortunately was a tragic you waiting to happen.

They were turning onto Pyle, not Braeburn. Well, maybe it's not Pyle Road at that point, but the service road going towards Whitman.

PP was talking about someone trying to turn on the other side of River from where the accident occurred which is Braeburn.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make that left turn five days a week and if a car is in front of you turning left on to Braeburn Parkway as was the case in this accident, YOU CANNOT SEE oncoming traffic. It is so dangerous for both experienced and inexperienced drivers. It unfortunately was a tragic you waiting to happen.

If you can't see, you don't go. Period. You don't guess, or hope, or make a run for it. You sit there until you can see. I make a daily left turn off Route 28 that is similarly hopeless in terms of line of sight if a car is waiting to turn left from the other side, and I have sat there for upwards of 5 minutes before, waiting to be able to see a gap. It's annoying as all get-out, but when traffic is coming toward you at 50+ mph (speed limit is 40 but is routinely ignored), you can't afford to guess.

Or you find another way. Go to the next traffic signal where you can turn safely on a light and backtrack. A few extra seconds/minutes is well worth it.

Absolutely. If it's young people it can be hard to convince them to do this.

Why haven't they updated the story yet? Sadly, families must have been notified by now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make that left turn five days a week and if a car is in front of you turning left on to Braeburn Parkway as was the case in this accident, YOU CANNOT SEE oncoming traffic. It is so dangerous for both experienced and inexperienced drivers. It unfortunately was a tragic you waiting to happen.

If you can't see, you don't go. Period. You don't guess, or hope, or make a run for it. You sit there until you can see. I make a daily left turn off Route 28 that is similarly hopeless in terms of line of sight if a car is waiting to turn left from the other side, and I have sat there for upwards of 5 minutes before, waiting to be able to see a gap. It's annoying as all get-out, but when traffic is coming toward you at 50+ mph (speed limit is 40 but is routinely ignored), you can't afford to guess.

Or you find another way. Go to the next traffic signal where you can turn safely on a light and backtrack. A few extra seconds/minutes is well worth it.