This appeared in the Buffalo News-
Police identify victim of train-pedestrian accident
Updated: May 22, 2010, 4:31 pm / 1 comment
Published: May 22, 2010, 4:31 pm
The woman killed Friday afternoon in train-pedestrian accident in Buffalo has been identified as Sandra M. Abrams, 37, who had addresses in both Buffalo and Salamanca, Buffalo police said today.
Homicide detectives continue to investigate the accident, which occurred just before 4 p.m. Friday, on tracks near Niagara and Albany streets, where an outbound Amtrak train struck Abrams. She was declared dead at the scene.
I'm surprised the Buffalo News didn't find this themselves. Don't they do any investigating at all? This woman had a warrant out for her arrest for stealing purses in a church.
Warrant issued for woman who stole purses in church
Updated: March 27, 2010, 6:36 am /
Published: March 27, 2010, 12:30 am
An arrest warrant was issued Friday for Sandra M. Abrams, who became notorious for stealing purses during Buffalo church services last fall, after she walked away from an inpatient drug treatment program Monday, authorities said.
Abrams, 36, of North Street, had pleaded guilty Feb. 1 to grand larceny and was sent to the state's Madonna House treatment facility in Lockport. Abrams' lawyer, Andrew C. LoTempio, told State Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns that he has "no knowledge of her whereabouts."
Abrams is scheduled to be sentenced Monday on her guilty plea to felony grand larceny for stealing purses, containing a total of about $22 in cash and credit cards from four Buffalo churches in November. She had been in custody until entering the drug program March 1.
I wonder what happened between her leaving the drug treatment facility and yesterday afternoon. Poor thing is now literally a train wreck. I feel bad for her family.
UPDATE 5/23--Here is the follow up to the story. I'm surprised that they are now thinking it was an accident. It really makes you wonder if rehab places should force people to quit smoking cigarettes at the same time as other drugs. They kicked her out for smoking a freaking cigarette?!
Train accident ends life of troubled woman
By Robert J. McCarthy
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: May 22, 2010, 10:42 pm / 18 comments
Published: May 22, 2010, 4:31 pm
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Sandra M. Abrams' life of drug abuse and petty crime ended just as sadly Friday afternoon on railroad tracks along Niagara Street after she was struck by an Amtrak train bound for Toronto.
Police today identified Abrams as the same woman they arrested last November for stealing purses and credit cards from worshippers at several Buffalo churches.
Abrams was 37 and had addresses on North Street and the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation.
Buffalo Police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said that police still do not know how she was hit by the passenger train but added that they consider her death accidental.
And in a bizarre twist, the same train that killed Abrams near Niagara and Albany streets about 4 p.m. was later involved in another fatal accident in Toronto. CTV in Toronto reported that a 30-year-old man was struck about 12:40 a.m. Saturday, as the train was backing into a cleaning facility shortly after dropping off passengers at Union Station in downtown Toronto.
Toronto Police Sgt. Tim Burrows told CTV the unidentified man may have been wearing headphones at the time.
Abrams' attorney, Andrew C. LoTempio, said her problems stemmed from a lifetime of drug addiction.
"She started in her mid-teens," he said Saturday. "Her mother struggled for years trying to help her. But she just started getting into petty crimes to support her drug habit."
After she was arrested Nov. 24 for a series of purse thefts Nov. 15 in the Buffalo churches, she was charged with three counts of grand larceny and one count of petit larceny and jailed. On Feb. 1, she pleaded guilty to felony grand larceny for stealing the purses with credit cards and cash.
State Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns had granted LoTempio's request for treatment instead of jail during a March court appearance.
But LoTempio said Saturday that Abrams lasted only about two weeks at Madonna House in Lockport before she was kicked out for smoking ... a violation of the rules. Her whereabouts were unknown until she was hit by the train Friday, though her attorney suspects she had spent time on the Cattaraugus Reservation.
citydesk@buffnews.com
Not sure about how the new york state law is with no smoking in rehab places. There used to be 2 schools of thought.
1. You only gave up the addictions You have, that is tough enough
2. The Problem as I understand it is what that does is doesn't stop addiction it just transfers it to something else like maybe smoking. So the other Theory is that instead of just getting over the addiction to that one thing you need to get rid of all addictions.
I Don't have a degree in this and am no expert so I might be saying this wrong.
I just updated this entry with the latest from Buffalo News. Strangely, this train went on to kill someone else in Toronto later on in the day.
Tough To Know Really. Maybe what ever she did to get money got her killed (could have whored it up for money then black mailed someone, could have stolen something and got caught, maybe she OD on the tracks). I wonder if they figure it out if they will let (the media). Let anyone know.