Valhalla train crash

About

On the evening of February 3, 2015, a commuter train on Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line struck a passenger car at a grade crossing on Commerce Street near Valhalla, New York, United States. Six people were killed and 15 others injured, seven severely. It is the deadliest crash in Metro-North's history, and was at the time the deadliest rail accident in the United States since the June 2009 Washington Metro train collision, which killed nine passengers and injured 80.

The crash occurred following a car accident on the adjacent Taconic State Parkway that caused traffic to be detoured onto local roads; the parkway had been closed in one direction. A sport utility vehicle (SUV) driven by Ellen Brody of nearby Edgemont was waiting at the grade crossing. It was caught between the crossing's gates when they descended onto the rear of the SUV as the train approached from the south. Instead of backing into the space another driver had created for her, Brody drove forward onto the tracks. She died when the train struck her vehicle and pushed it down the tracks. The collision damaged over 450 feet (140 m) of the third rail, which led to a fire and the deaths of five passengers.