The 2015 Metro-North crash in Valhalla that killed six people was largely the fault of the railroad itself and the train operator, a Westchester County jury determined this week.
The jury’s verdict strongly contradicted a 2017 federal investigation, which concluded SUV driver Ellen Brody was at fault for the deadly crash.
Six jurors, however, determined Metro-North and train operator Steven Smalls were 71% responsible for the deaths of five passengers on board the train. The same parties were also 63% responsible for Brody’s death, according to the jury.
“The MTA disagrees with this verdict and is considering all legal options,” MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said in a statement.
On Feb. 3, 2015, Brody was driving her Mercedes SUV down Commerce St. in Valhalla when she reached the Metro-North crossing. A northbound Harlem Line train was rolling up the tracks, and the railroad crossing gate hit the back of Brody’s SUV, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
Instead of backing up, Brody pulled forward onto the tracks. Metro-North train 659 slammed into her vehicle and dragged it nearly 700 feet down the tracks.
During the collision, the electrified third rail of the tracks was uprooted and carved a path of destruction through the first train car. Eventually, 343 feet of the third rail popped into the air. That elevation, combined with fuel spilled from Brody’s SUV, set the train on fire.
Passengers Walter Liedtke, 69; Eric Vandercar, 53; Aditya Tomar, 41; Robert Dirks, 36, and Joseph Nadol, 42, were killed, along with Brody, 49.
Though the NTSB blamed Brody for the crash, families of the victims filed a civil suit against Metro-North and the MTA.
More than nine years after the devastating wreck, the jury sided with the families. Monetary damages will be determined in a separate trial, according to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News.
The jury faulted the track design and believed Smalls should have tried to stop the train earlier, after seeing an indistinct reflection on the tracks ahead of him, the Journal News reported.
“The jury’s decision highlights the need for Metro-North to implement vital changes to ensure the safety and well-being of all passengers,” plaintiff’s attorney Ben Rubinowitz said in a press release.
Additional reporting by Evan Simko-Bednarski
