A Metro-North Railroad passenger train smolders after hitting a vehicle in Valhalla, N.Y., on Feb. 3, 2015.VALHALLA, N.Y. — Federal investigators looking into a fiery commuter train wreck that killed six people zeroed in Wednesday on what they called the big question on everyone’s mind: Why was the driver of an SUV stopped on the tracks, between the lowered crossing gates?
A team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived to examine the blackened and mangled wreckage and the Metro-North train’s data recorders the morning after the rush-hour collision with the sport utility vehicle about 20 miles north of New York City.
The Tuesday evening crash was the deadliest accident in the 32-year history of one of the nation’s busiest commuter railroads — one that has come under a harsh spotlight over a series of accidents in recent years. The SUV driver and five men on the train were killed, burned so badly that authorities were using dental records to identify them.
“The big question everyone wants to know is: Why was this vehicle in the crossing?” said Robert Sumwalt, NTSB vice chairman.
The wreck happened after dark in backed-up traffic in an area where the tracks are straight but driving can be tricky. Motorists exiting or entering the adjacent Taconic Parkway have to turn and cross the tracks near a wooded area and a cemetery.