More on NY Train Crash- AP

SUV inside train gates for about 30 seconds before NY crash

The Associated Press - By By JIM FITZGERALD and JENNIFER PELTZ - Associated Press

21 minutes ago

• 
  Emergency personnel, including National Transportation Safety Board employees, examine the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and five rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  1 of 4
• 
  A car passes through the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and several rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  2 of 4
• 
  A train passes through the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and five rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  3 of 4
• 
  A train passes through the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and five rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  4 of 4
• 
  Emergency personnel, including National Transportation Safety Board employees, examine the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and five rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  1 of 4
• 
  A car passes through the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and several rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  2 of 4
• 
  A train passes through the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and five rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  3 of 4
• 
  A train passes through the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and five rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  4 of 4
• 
  Emergency personnel, including National Transportation Safety Board employees, examine the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and five rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  1 of 4
• 
  A car passes through the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and several rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  2 of 4
• 
  A train passes through the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and five rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  3 of 4
• 
  A train passes through the intersection where an SUV was struck by a Metro-North Railroad train in Valhalla, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. An investigation into what caused a fiery crash that killed a motorist and five rail riders is focusing on how a mother of three described by friends as safety conscious ended up between two crossing gates in her SUV as a commuter train barreled toward her. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  4 of 4

 

VALHALLA, N.Y. (AP) — An SUV was in the danger zone inside railroad crossing gates for about half a minute before a suburban commuter train crashed into it, killing the driver and five train passengers, investigators' preliminary findings indicate.

Data recorders also show the Metro-North Railroad train's engineer hit the emergency brakes and sounded the horn as the train bore down on the Valhalla crossing, traveling 58 mph in a 60 mph zone, National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Thursday.

While investigators have yet to answer many questions about Tuesday's fiery crash, their early findings shed some light on the timeline.

"What we have here is: We have a mosaic," Sumwalt said. "We're going to take different pieces of information, pull it all together and then paint a picture of what's happened."

The SUV driver got ahead of the crossing gate in inching traffic, then got out of her car to examine it after the gate came down and hit the back of it, a witness has said. But then she got back in, seeming unhurried, and advanced onto the track, the witness told news outlets and investigators.

The train's engineer also told investigators that he saw the car moving onto the tracks.

Flashing warning lights at the crossing illuminated 39 seconds before the crash, and the gates came down a few seconds later, Sumwalt said. That would leave about 30 seconds that the SUV was inside the gates.

Investigators haven't found any problems with the warning signals or the nearby traffic lights, which are synched to let drivers clear the crossing when a train is coming, Sumwalt said. The crossing also had painted warnings on its pavement, and a sign 65 feet from the rail warns drivers not to stop on the tracks, he noted.

The agency hasn't mapped out how far before the crossing the engineer hit the emergency brakes on the train, which takes about 950 feet and 30 seconds to stop, Sumwalt said.

2015 The Associated Press

Previous Page

Next Page

Page 1 of 2

Share on emailEmail