Sad News

Yesterday afternoon I couldn't take my usual route home because it was blocked by a police barricade and news cameras.
Mahwah woman's body recovered

MAHWAH – Police on Wednesday recovered the body of a Mahwah woman who drove off a rain-slicked Route 202 and into the Ramapo River during the height of Sunday's nor'easter.

...left a party in the Rio Vista section of town during the heaviest rains of the storm on Sunday night and never arrived home, police and family members said. Police said they believe she either failed to negotiate a sharp turn or lost control of the car as she was driving home.

This is very sad news, I know, but it's just not that surprising. The news told us over and over that a big, dangerous storm was coming, and this woman went driving on a twist-and-turn-filled mountain road just above the Ramapo River. There have been a few times that I've taken the long way home in bad weather, because I stopped and thought about road conditions on 202 between me and 287. I'm very sorry that this woman didn't come to the same conclusions.

Please, if the weather is bad, seriously consider whether or not your ride is dangerous. Being reasonably cautious doesn't make you weak, and it can keep you alive.