New York City Train Crash: Four Victims Named

Investigators probe speed and brake failure as possible causes of the crash, as the four people killed are named by authorities.

Rescuers are still searching the train wreckage for passengers

Victims of a New York City train crash that killed four people and injured 63 have been named, as investigators probe the cause of the derailment.

Commuters were thrown from the train as all seven carriages careered off the rails on a riverside bend at 7.20am on Sunday, stopping feet from the mouth of the Harlem River where it flows into the Hudson.
Accident investigators, who have recovered the train's black box recorder, are believed to be looking at speed and brake failure as possible causes of the crash.
Authorities identified the victims as legal professional Donna Smith, 54, sound and light technician James Lovell, 58, nurse Ahn Kisook, 35, and James Ferrari, 59.
Three of the dead were found outside the train and one was found inside, authorities said.
The New York City medical examiner's office said autopsies are scheduled for Monday.

The train stopped feet from the mouth of the Harlem River

Mr Lovell, a cancer and heart disease survivor, was on his way to Manhattan to work on New York's famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, according to friend Janet Barton.
He had worked on NBC TV shows, including Today, for more than 20 years and had three sons, Hudson, Jack and Finn, and a daughter, Brooke.
Don Nash, executive of the Today show, said: "He was not only a skilled technician but also one of the nicest guys you ever met.
"You may have seen him working at many of our outdoor concerts. He always had a smile on his face and was quick to share a friendly greeting."
His son Finn wrote on Instagram: "Words can't express how much my father meant to me. It's safe to say he moulded me into the man I am today.

Bill Rockefeller reportedly said the train's brakes may have failed

"I love you and I miss you. I can't believe you're gone. This feels like an awful nightmare that I can't wake up from. Rest easy dad. I love you."
Rescuers at the scene shattered windows, searched nearby woods and waters and used pneumatic jacks and air bags to peer under wreckage.
Officials were due to bring in cranes during the night to right the overturned cars on the slight chance anyone might still be underneath, National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said.
As the investigation into the cause of the crash begins, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said there did not appear to be any fault with the track.
In a telephone interview with CNN, he said the scene "looked like a toy train set that was mangled by some super-powerful force".

The train crashed on a curve with a 30mph speed limit

Mr Weener said the speed limit on the curve is 30mph (48kmph), compared with 70mph (113kmph) in the area approaching.
One passenger, Frank Tatulli, told WABC-TV that the train appeared to be going "a lot faster" than usual as it approached the sharp curve near the Spuyten Duyvil station.
Local residents awoke to a loud boom, as the force of the crash shook nearby buildings.
Angel Gonzalez was in bed in his high-rise apartment overlooking the rail curve when he heard the roar.
"I thought it was a plane that crashed," he said.

An injured passenger is helped from the scene by rescuers

According to local media, train engineer William Rockefeller Jr told supervisors he had tried to apply the brakes but the train did not slow down as it entered the bend.
As deadly as the derailment was, the number of people killed could have been far greater had it happened on a busy weekday, or had the lead car plunged into the water.
The Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Station train, which had about 150 people on board, was half-full at the time of the crash, rail officials said.




source:skynews