Investigators probe deadly New York commuter train crash that killed six

Investigators probe deadly New York commuter train crash that killed six

Investigators are trying to determine if the driver of the SUV ever heard the train as it approached, and are weighing whether warning bells could have helped avoid the tragedy.

Investigators found that warning bells were not in place at a warning crossing where a New York commuter train smashed into a sport utility vehicle on Tuesday, killing six people.

In fact, warning bells were not even required at the location in Valhalla, north of New York City, which may have meant the driver wasn’t able to hear the Metro-North Train before it collided with the vehicle, according to an NBC News report.

An official with the National Transportation Safety Board said that warning bells are typically only required at railroad crossings that include a pedestrian walkway. This particularly crossing didn’t have one. As a result, investigators are looking into whether warning bells would have helped in this situation.

The crossing gates and warning lights were working as they should have, however. Officials had proposed in 2009 to put in a third set of flashing lights about 100-200 feet up the road to give drivers more warning as they came around the bend, according to the report.

A series of horn blasts were issued from the train as it approached the crossing, and the engineer hit the emergency brakes after spotting the SUV and leaned on the horn for four second before the crash. The application of emergency brakes enabled the train to slow from 58 to 49 miles per hour before the crash, but it wasn’t enough to save the driver of the car, 2011 Mercedes ML350, as well as five passengers on board the train.

Sparks immediately followed the crash, filling the compartment with smoke as the first train car caught on fire. The engineer was able to help passengers to safety.

A large amount of damage was caused to the train when it collided with the SUV, as 12 seconds of rail were piled up inside the train car, and the electrified third rail was torn up and sent crashing into the train car after smashing through the SUV. The track is supposed to de-energize when it starts to break apart, and officials are looking into whether that was the case.

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