6 DEAD, AT LEAST 12 INJURED AFTER METRO-NORTH COMMUTER TRAIN COLLIDES WITH 2 CARS IN VALHALLA, NEW YORK
February 3, 2015
VALHALLA,
NY (Lohud.com) — At least six people were killed Tuesday after a Metro-North
commuter train struck two cars just north of the train station, emergency
responders said.
As
many as 12 others were said to be injured in the crash.
The
crash, which occurred about 6:30 p.m. near the Commerce Street crossing, caused
an explosion that ignited both the cars and the Harlem Line train.
Numerous
police and fire departments are responding for a "mass-casualty"
incident. Authorities could not yet say how serious the injuries are or if
anyone is believed to have been killed.
David
Billig, director of media relations at Westchester County Medical Center, could
not confirm any of the injuries, but said that officials at the hospital, one
of the only Level 1 trauma centers in the area, were readying for patients from
the crash.
Aaron
Donovan, a spokesman for the MTA said the express train left Grand Central
Terminal at 5:45 p.m. and was headed northbound to make its first stop at
Chappaqua when it struck the two cars.
Riders
on the train who unharmed were evacuated through the rear train car and taken
to The Cliffs, a nearby sports club, where they awaited a bus that would allow
them to continue their ride.
Angela
Murphy of Briarcliff, came by the North White Plains state to pick up her
husband Dan, a stockbroker.
Murphy
said, "He called me and said there was an announcement that the last stop
would be in North White Plains."
So
she drove down from Briarcliff to pick him up.
"It's
terrible. I hope no one was killed," she said. She heard about the crash
on the radio.
The
Valhalla, Hawthorne, Elmsford and North White Plains fire departments are
responding to the scene. Police units from the MTA, Mount Pleasant and the
Westchester County Department of Public Safety also responded. New York state
troopers were assisting with traffic control.
Service
on the Harlem Line is suspended between North White Plains and Pleasantville.
A
large emergency response team had already been in the area responding to a
head-on crash on the Taconic State Parkway. The parkway is now closed to
northbound and southbound traffic and is expected to remain so for several
hours.
An
MTA spokeswoman said there is likely to be a press conference later tonight at
the crash site.
///_________________________________________________///
VALHALLA — At least six people were killed Tuesday after a Metro-North commuter train struck a Jeep just north of the train station, officials said.
Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said the victims included the driver of the car, a woman who was outside of her vehicle when the crash occurred, and five people on board the train.
At least 12 others were injured, he said.
The fiery scene began to unfold about 6:30 p.m. when the Harlem Line train out of Grand Central Terminal struck the black Jeep Cherokee at the narrow, two-lane Commerce Street crossing, causing an explosion that ignited both the car and the train.
"The gates came down on top of the vehicle, which was stopped on the tracks," he said in a statement. "The driver got out to look at the rear of the car, then she got back in and drove forward and was stuck."
Donovan said the force from the impact pushed the Cherokee about 10 train car lengths north of the crossing.
The train involved was a 5:44 p.m. train from Grand Central Terminal, due in Southeast at 7:08 p.m.
Numerous police and fire departments responded to what was quickly labeled a "mass-casualty" incident.
David Billig, director of media relations at Westchester County Medical Center, could not confirm any of the injuries, but he said that officials at the hospital, one of the only Level 1 trauma centers in the area, were readying for patients from the crash.
Donovan said the train had been expected to make its first stop at Chappaqua.
About 400 riders, the "walking wounded" who were unharmed, were evacuated through the rear train car and taken to The Cliffs at Valhalla, a nearby sports club.
Mount Pleasant Police Chief Michael McGuinn said the club is being used as a staging area to evaluate the injured and to transport others to a point where they can continue their trip.
Ryan Cottrell, the gym's assistant director, said the injured had already been taken to ambulances. The mood inside, he said, was quiet.
"We have hot food and all that good stuff, so everyone's fine," he said.
Buses were also being brought in to bridge the gap in service between North White Plains and Pleasantville. Normal train service is continuing between Grand Central and North White Plains, and shuttle trains are operating north of Pleasantville.
"My first thought was that it was a signal error. There was a bit of confusion on the train. We all kind of shuffled to the back," he said. "People just started opening windows (to get out)."
Bernier said the conductor made an announcement moments later, informing the passengers that a car had been struck.
At the North White Plains train station, an orange-vested customer service representative directed people to a parking lot where she said buses would take them on to their final destination. Northbound trains, according to the video monitors at the station, were running 18 to 67 minutes behind schedule.
Angela Murphy of Briarcliff, went by the North White Plains state to pick up her husband Dan, a stockbroker.
Murphy said, "He called me and said there was an announcement that the last stop would be in North White Plains."
She heard about the crash on the radio while she was en route to get him.
"For once, I'm glad I worked late," said Alfred Cottrell, a stock broker who was trying to get home to Chappaqua. "I could have been on that train."
The Valhalla, Hawthorne, Elmsford and North White Plains fire departments are responding to the scene. Police units from the MTA, Mount Pleasant and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety also responded. New York state troopers were assisting with traffic control.
About five hours before the crash, security consultant Peter Moreno heard on the police scanner that the railroad crossing gates at Virginia Road in North White Plains were not working properly. He tweeted the information "to let people know to be careful."
The crossing, he said, is about one mile south of Commerce Street.
"I don't know that there's a connection," Moreno told The Journal News. "I do know that the police were dispatched earlier today for a problems with the gates. I have no way of knowing if those problems were founded or if, in fact, they were connected. I find it coincidental. And it's something that bears investigation at the very least."
Moreno, a Westchester resident who owns KH Security Solutions, said he hoped the two were unrelated because Metro-North has had "their share of trouble lately."
"It's just a terrible thing," said Moreno, a retired New York Police Department captain and a former volunteer with the North White Plains Fire Department. "You want to hope you're safe on the trains."
At the time of the train crash, a large emergency response team had already been in the area to deal with a head-on crash on the Taconic State Parkway. State police closed the parkway to both directions of traffic after the train crash. The road remained closed for several hours.
Staff reporter Khurram Saeed contributed to this report.
