Preliminary investigation findings indicate an SUV was in the danger zone inside railroad crossing gates for about 30 seconds before a Metro-North commuter train crashed into it, killing the driver and five train passengers.
National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt on Thursday disclosed data that shed light on the timeline of Tuesday's crash in Westchester County. Sumwalt says flashing lights at the Valhalla crossing illuminated 39 seconds before the wreck and the gates came down a few seconds later. He says the train was going just under the 60 mph speed limit and the engineer hit the emergency brake. He says the train’s horn went off as it should have approaching the crossing with an added 4-second long blast. A witness says a crossing gate came down on the back of the SUV and the driver got out and examined it and then got back in and advanced onto the tracks.
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