Watch: Senator has close call with train as he promotes safety

Catalina Camia

UsaToday

FILE - This Feb. 27, 2013 file photo shows Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. on Capitol Hill in Washington. Senators say theyíre frustrated with the governmentís slow pace at writing new rail safety regulations in light of recent fiery freight train accidents and a deadly commuter train derailment. Blumenthal warned witnesses at a Senate hearing Thursday, ìone of the things we're going to do here is impose accountability". (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) ORG XMIT: WX106

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., was advocating for train safety when an Amtrak train came whizzing by him -- just a little too close.

Watch the video taken Friday by WTNH-TV, the ABC affiliate in New Haven:

As the TV station reported, Milford Mayor Ben Blake was just saying "safety, as you know, is paramount" when the train passes by the platform. You can see on the video that Blumenthal, with his back to the train, was standing close to the edge of the platform.

Blumenthal was there Friday to call attention to $552,000 in fines incurred by Metro-North for safety violations and defects since 2004.

"The purpose of a fine is to change behavior, and that clearly hasn't happened here," Blumenthal said in a statement. "If the law needs to be toughened, let's do it."

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