A commuter train slammed into a sport utility vehicle stuck on the
tracks Tuesday evening, killing 6 people, mostly on the train, and
injuring at least 12 others, authorities said.
The northbound train struck a Jeep Cherokee at a railroad crossing in Valhalla, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of New York City, Metro-North Railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan said. Killed were the SUV's driver and five people aboard the train, he said.
The railroad track gates had come down on top of the SUV, which was stopped on the tracks, the Metro-North spokesman said. The driver got out to look at the rear of the vehicle, then she got back in and drove forward and was struck, he said.
A Metro-North Railroad passenger train smolders after hitting two vehicles in Valhalla. Photo / AP
Passengers got off from the rear of the train. About 400 of them were taken to a local rock climbing gym for shelter. Buses were sent to pick them up and take them to their destinations.
Service on a portion of Metro-North's Harlem Line has been suspended.
Metro-North is the nation's second-busiest railroad, after the Long Island Rail Road. It was formed in 1983. It serves about 280,000 riders a day in New York and Connecticut.
Late last year, the National Transportation Safety Board issued rulings on five Metro-North accidents that occurred in New York and Connecticut in 2013 and 2014, repeatedly finding fault with the railroad while also noting that conditions have improved.
Among the accidents was a Dec. 1, 2014, derailment that killed four people in the New York City borough of The Bronx. The NTSB said the engineer had fallen asleep at the controls because he had a severe, undiagnosed case of sleep apnea.
The northbound train struck a Jeep Cherokee at a railroad crossing in Valhalla, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of New York City, Metro-North Railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan said. Killed were the SUV's driver and five people aboard the train, he said.
The railroad track gates had come down on top of the SUV, which was stopped on the tracks, the Metro-North spokesman said. The driver got out to look at the rear of the vehicle, then she got back in and drove forward and was struck, he said.
Passengers got off from the rear of the train. About 400 of them were taken to a local rock climbing gym for shelter. Buses were sent to pick them up and take them to their destinations.
Service on a portion of Metro-North's Harlem Line has been suspended.
Metro-North is the nation's second-busiest railroad, after the Long Island Rail Road. It was formed in 1983. It serves about 280,000 riders a day in New York and Connecticut.
Late last year, the National Transportation Safety Board issued rulings on five Metro-North accidents that occurred in New York and Connecticut in 2013 and 2014, repeatedly finding fault with the railroad while also noting that conditions have improved.
Among the accidents was a Dec. 1, 2014, derailment that killed four people in the New York City borough of The Bronx. The NTSB said the engineer had fallen asleep at the controls because he had a severe, undiagnosed case of sleep apnea.
