Monday marks 10 years since deadliest Metro-North accident

Officials said Ellen Brody, of Edgemont, got her car caught between the safety gates at the Commerce Street railroad crossing in Valhalla on Feb. 3, 2015.

Jade Nash

Feb 2, 2025, 4:52 PM

Updated 6 hr ago

Share:

Monday will mark 10 years since an Edgemont woman and five others were killed in the deadliest accident in Metro-North history.
Officials said Ellen Brody, of Edgemont, got her car caught between the safety gates at the Commerce Street railroad crossing in Valhalla on Feb. 3, 2015.
She was killed moments later when a Metro-North train crashed into her on the railroad tracks.
Five people on the train also died when a third rail pierced the first car and caused a fire.
The NTSB found Brody responsible but cited a design flaw on that third rail.
In July, a jury found Metro-North primarily responsible for all six deaths.
However, Brody's husband, Alan, said he believes the company has failed to take true responsibility for the tragedy.
"They're taking us back to court to argue over those damages and I would imagine their idea is somehow another jury would disagree with the first jury and somehow found that they owe nothing," Brody said.
Officials from the MTA said they can't comment on the incident due to the ongoing appeals process.
However, they issued a statement saying, "safety is a core value of the MTA" and added that their teams have worked with various agencies on railroad crossing safety enhancements over the last decade.