Heather Bratton - (1987-2006) - RIP

[Siara]

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oh my gad..

 

[capt_bob]

At first I wasn't going to leave a message in this thread. I'd never heard of Heather Bratton until the news of her horrible death hit all the Fashion boards. But it really struck chord in me - it just seems such a terrible, pointless waste - a beautiful young woman with everything to live for - on the fast track to fame & fortune - dying such a hellish death - it really haunts me. And one thing that really gets me p---ed is: was bad or reckless driving involved? All the news reports say that the accident is still "under investigation." Why didn't the driver in the SUV that smashed into her car stop in time? Was the driver of the SUV asleep, drunk, talking on a cell-phone, tuning the radio? The fact is, hitting a car stopped in front of you is considered prima facie evidence that you were either speeding and/or tailgating - and both constitute reckless driving. And of course, the fact that it was an SUV that hit her car only makes matters worse: they're heavier, require a much longer stopping distance, and are not as maneuverable as cars, i.e. you can't steer or swerve out of harm's way as readily, and when an SUV does hit something it does a whole lot more damage. (I now have one more compelling reason to hate SUVs!) I mention these things because I live in New York City, were I see the most horrible, reckless driving every day - and hear of people getting injured and killed because of it all the time. And almost nothing ever happens to the reckless drivers: maybe a summons, maybe a license suspension. It seems you can pretty much commit vehicular homicide, or vehicular manslaughter here, or anywhere else for that matter, and pretty much get away with it. If the driver of the SUV is found to be at fault, then he should do some hard time behind bars. It won't bring back poor Heather, but at least justice will have been served.

 

[capt_bob]

I wonder if any of the leading fashion magazines will run articles – memorials of some kind, whatever - on the horrible and untimely death of Heather, and also of Audrey Lindvall. It really seems the very least that they could do for two beautiful young women with so much to live for, who died such untimely, pointless, terribly violent deaths. Or will these magazines - and the fashion industry in general, that counts on these girls to model all their latest designs and sell all their products in print & TV ads - just forget about them, and go on as if nothing had ever happened. I, for one, am going to e-mail the editorial boards of all of them: VOGUE, ELLE, BAZAAR, COSMO, etc, recommending that they do print some sort of memorial for them in their next issues, or, if not a memorial, than an article in celebration of what they did accomplish in the few, far too few years they were here among the living.

 

[fanta326]

R.I.P, Heather..... hugs from Japan,

 

[Weirdo]

She was so young... R.I.P.

 

[eunka]

another model died

This time it was Czech model Renata Vaculcikova. She died in a car accident on Saturday

source: super.cz

 

[lolita_sweet_91]

I'm so shocked...I have just returned from holiday and when I found out I couldn't believe my eyes... R.I.P.

 

[StellaMare]

It's very sad the way she died.

My mentor died in a car crash in march this year, she was 33 and left behind two little kids.. That was very difficult to deal with and I seriously don't wish something like that upon anyone.
I feel for Heather's family.

 

[SiennaInLondon]

Ok my stomach just friggin hit my throat. What is going on.

 

[SiennaInLondon]

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have written that. I have been off TFS for a few days and just... wow.

I wish peace for her family because though Heather has it now, the trial is for those who know her

 

[Anastasia]

My deepest condolences to Heather's family, friends, and fans, as well as the loved ones of the other injured people. May she rest in peace

 

[smartarse]

Gosh . lately NJ Turnpike is like a graveyard. most recent horrific car crashed with deaths happened just few days ago

 

[Carrme]

Ohmy goodness~! im feel so bad..I just just found out...ive never seen anynews cause I was camping..oh my goodness..I had her on my myspace...theni come on here and its a tragic accident... rip my beauty... crap this is sad.. wow//

 

[Carrme]

Have any models spoken out on her death?

 

[Faith Akiyama]

^Several (Freja, Mariacarla, Coco, etc.) have signed the guestbook on heatherbratton.com with some kind messages (Assuming those are not just online imposters).

 

[Carrme]

ok thanks ill check it out..gosh just to see their backstage pics together it breaks my heart

 

[breathe.couture]

I just heard about this - so terribly sad. Heather was an amazing talent, and I was looking forward to what she would've become. It's tradgic we'll never get to. Deepest regards to her family and those who knew her. RIP Heather.

 

[Anastasia]

Gosh . lately NJ Turnpike is like a graveyard. most recent horrific car crashed with deaths happened just few days ago

I fly out of Newark, and live in Pennsylvania, so must take the NJ turnpike for quite awhile to get there. It is nerve-wracking and insane. In two weeks I'll be using it and am sure I'll think of Heather. Someone mentioned that the SUV must have been following too closely, or the driver wasn't paying attention. On the NJ turnpike you can't go the speed limit, or leave the recommended 1 car length for every 10 miles per hour between you and the car in front of you. The people around you are driving too fast and too recklessly, you have no choice but to try to keep up or you will be literally run over. If only EVERYONE could follow the rules, it would be a lot safer, but unfortunately there are too many people who think the rules don't apply to them and they're too important or too busy to go a reasonable speed. It is perfectly possible that the SUV driver was being negligent (and I personally have huge problems with SUVs in general), but it's also possible he had no choice to be that close, to keep from being rammed from behind himself, or he could not switch lanes because he was boxed in - that happens sometimes, where you'll be trapped in a lane for miles and miles, sometimes even missing your exit, because there are too many cars too close to each other and driving too fast. And driving too slowly on such roads can be just as dangerous as driving too fast, when everyone around you is like a bat out of hell

I do hope legal action is taken against Ford for the sheer lunacy and callous disregard for safety and life they demonstrated by making such a car.

 

[capt_bob]

Yes Anastasia, I wrote last Sunday about how the accident was "under investigation" and I wondered why the SUV smashed into the cab Heather was riding in. I believe the accident happened aroung 5 or 6 on a Saturday morning. I'm not sure how much traffic would have been out then - not a whole lot. But there's still no excuse for hitting a car in front of you at speed. But poor Heather, she had two strikes against her in this accident: the car she was in was a Crown-Victoria - a car notorious for its gas tank exploding in collisions, and, her car was hit by an SUV, (a whole lot heavier than a regular car) maximizing the impact and insuring that the gas tank would explode. It's just too terrible: she must have died a horrible death, trapped inside a burning car. And no one seems to care: 49,000 people killed every year in auto accidents in the USA, hundreds of thousands of more injured. Between the ages of about 15 & 50 riding in a car is just about the most dangerous thing you can do. Bad, unsafe car design, bad road design, all these huge SUVs - and none of the problems are every seriously addressed.

 

[SiennaInLondon]

Well said Capt Bob. Sad as this is, it serves to illustrate a huge problem.