NTSB investigating deadly New York commuter train crash

VALHALLA, N.Y. -- Federal investigators began examining the burned-out wreckage at the site of the deadly Metro-North train crash Wednesday, looking for clues that might explain the behavior of a woman whose SUV was stopped between the descending crossing gates.

"For whatever reason, the Mercedes SUV was stopped on tracks," TSB vice chairman Robert Sumwalt said during an afternoon briefing. "(On Thursday), we should be able to report speed train was traveling when it struck the SUV...We have somebody that's looking at rail traffic signals, highway traffic signals and crossing gates at rail crossings."

The crippled commuter train came to rest nearly 1,000 feet from the railroad crossing, the burned-out Mercedes embedded in the lead car and the third rail piercing the floorboards like a skewer.

"The entire interior of the first rail car was burned out, and the initial indication is that the fire was fueled by gasoline from the SUV," Suwalt said.

Sumwalt described how sections of the third rail penetrated the lead car, first going through the SUV and then striking the lead car above the wheels, where it was forced into the compartment. One piece of the rail made its way all the way to the second car in the train. One serious area of focus for the NTSB will be the crash worthiness of these cars.

Sources have identified Ellen Brody as the driver of the SUV involved in the crash on the Harlem line in Valhalla, Westchester County, in which six people died and 12 others were taken to the hospital with injuries. The five people killed on board the train were identified as 53-year-old Eric Vandercar, a senior managing director of institutional sales and trading at Mesirow Financial, Walter Liedtke, a curator and scholar of Dutch and Flemish paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 41-year-old Aditya Tomar of Danbury, 36-year-old Robert Dirks of Chappaqua, and 42-year-old Joseph B. Nadol III of Ossining.

Riders described a horrific scene. Among the passengers was Justin Kaback, commuting home to Danbury, Connecticut.

"I was trapped," he said. "You know, there was people in front of me and behind me, and I was trapped in the middle of a car and it was getting very hot. All the air was turned off, so there was no circulation. So it was definitely scary, especially when people are walking by on the outside and they said, 'The train's on fire. There's a fire.'"

Police and volunteer firefighters converged on the scene to find survivors staggering from the train, coughing and wheezing. Some climbed out windows to escape the raging fire, which claimed the lives of Brody and five male passengers on the train.

Witnesses say Brody became stranded in the crossing after the gates came down, though the reason why is still not clear. Officials say the fireball was likely caused by the vehicle's fuel tank exploding.

Senator Charles Schumer said the train was traveling at 58 miles per hour at the time of the crash, just shy of the 60 mile per hour speed limit. At that speed, he said, there was no time for the train operator to slow down. Schumer said the key question is why the third rail broke upward, which he believes sparked the fire. He is also asking whether the gate crossing was properly installed and if the train being operated properly.

"It could have been just an accident, totally unpreventable," he said. "It could be that there were real problems."

Sources believe that the engineer had a clear line of sight to the stranded vehicle and applied full brakes on all eight railcars before declaring an emergency to Metro-North controllers. Sources identify the engineer as Steven Smalls, a Metro North employee for three years and engineer for nine months. He remains hospitalized at Westchester County Medical Center.

For the NTSB, interviewing the crew members will be crucial.

"That's a high priority, and we would hope to be able to do that within the next 24 to 48 hours,' NTSB vice chairman Robert Sumwalt said.

The NTSB is expected to be on site investigating for five to seven days, and Sumwalt said investigators planned to examine the train's black-box-style recorders. He noted that the track signals also have recording devices that will be scrutinized.

Earlier, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the deadliest crash in Metro-North's history appears to have been just a terrible accident.

"There is no evidence at this time that something went wrong," he said, adding that "it would be apparently inexplicable" that the SUV driver pulled forward onto the track and into the path of the oncoming train...You had a metal rail going right down the train like a ramrod. This was as ugly as anything I have ever seen."

Families of the victims were gathering at the medical examiner's office. According to Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino, the bodies were "beyond recognition" and will need to be identified using dental records.

Astorino said that the train never derailed, but the first car was completely charred.

About 400 passengers were taken to a local rock-climbing gym for shelter, the Cliffs. Marcus Solis spoke exclusively with a passenger who described the moments after the accident:

On Wednesday, Harlem Line service was suspended between North White Plains and Pleasantville. Buses in White Plains were providing shuttles from Golden Bridge and Pleasantville to North White Plains, where trains could be picked up. Metro-North is also cross honoring Harlem line tickets on other lines, and service is operating normally from north White Plains and all points south.

Riders were advised to expect delays.

Metro-North is the nation's second-busiest railroad, after the Long Island Rail Road. It was formed in 1983 and serves about 280,000 riders a day in New York and Connecticut. Service on its Harlem Line was suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains after the crash.