NEWS BRIEFS: Malfunctioning railroad gate shuts down Route 28… [Video plus other stories…]
Hyannis – A malfunctioning railroad gate shut down Route 28 for about half an hour, backing up traffic for miles in both directions… the malfunction also diverted and caused traffic congestion in downtown Hyannis and surrounding areas…
At 12:16pm, police dispatched a patrol car to investigate reports that the railroad gates were stuck in the down position, completely shutting down traffic in both directions…
Additional units also responded after traffic was reportedly backed up near the airport rotary, Route 132, Barnstable Road, as well as other parts of town…
The Route 28 and Yarmouth Road intersection is typically congested and busy this time of day, even when all traffic signals are functioning properly…
The intersection is also an essential direct route to Cape Cod Hospital and is typically frequented by incoming ambulances from towns across the Cape…
Today was no different, as seen in the video, officers needed to assist an ambulance with emergency lights through the stuck railroad gates and over the tracks…
At about 12:41pm, a railroad worker arrived and managed to at least get the gates to lift up… however, the lights and bells remained flashing, slowing traffic and causing confusion… railroad employees were still trying to troubleshoot the gate as traffic began to flow again…
The following brief video highlights the scene just as responding officers began to carefully divert traffic across the tracks one lane at a time… it also shows the gates finally being lifted… [Press play]
In other news:
Hyannis – At about 10:40am, at least two alarmed callers alerted police regarding a woman pushing a baby stroller in the roadway near the airport rotary, stating ‘she didn’t look too good’…
Police quickly zeroed in on the woman and her baby carriage, reporting that it was empty… (the carriage being one of the first things they checked)
Aside from causing a stir by pushing an empty baby carriage in the roadway while wearing pajama bottoms, looking disheveled and distraught, police saw no reason why our baby-less stroller woman shouldn’t continue on her journey toward the east end of Hyannis… where she is expected to integrate and blend in quite nicely…
4PM UPDATE: Things didn’t pan out in the East End after all (Of note however, she did manage to wander the streets a good 5 hours without drawing police attention… a notable East End accomplishment in my humble opinion…). In the past two days, police have received repeat calls regarding the aforementioned female… Today at 3:57 pm, police made contact with her again in front of Cromwell Court Apartments after a caller reported her acting irrationally as if she were on drugs… Hyannis Rescue was called to the scene and she was transported to CCH for evaluation… where she will hopefully get the care she needs.
In other news:
Hyannis – Last night at 10:10pm, police and rescue rushed to the Mini Food Mart on East Main Street, after a man stormed in and barricaded himself in the store’s basement…
A relative of the man told Hyannis News he had been doing heroin all day when he decided to switch it up and start doing crack…
This poor choice, among others surrounding the man’s ongoing bender, caused an anxious reaction which sent him into a frantic drug crazed crisis…
The man was reportedly hallucinating and believed he was being chased…
According to police, the suspect damaged some things inside the store and will likely be summoned into court on charges related to malicious destruction of property…
The man was placed inside an ambulance and transported to CCH for treatment and evaluation…
4/30/2014
Robert Bastille,
P.S. – Today's HyTown Vignette is brought to by Maynard James Keenan... [Crank it]