Emergency responders poured in from around Westchester in the frantic minutes after a crowded Metro-North train smashed into an SUV sitting on the tracks and burst into flames Tuesday night, according to emergency transmissions obtained by NBC 4 New York.
Dozens of ambulances, fire trucks and police were called to the scene in Valhalla after a train on the Metro-North’s Harlem line hit the Mercedes SUV, which was sitting between two crossing gates. Six people were killed in the crash, which sent the electrified third rail into a train car and caused the front of the train to catch fire.
Several agencies were at the scene within minutes of the crash, according to the audio logs. Valhalla Fire Department quickly worked to shut down the road and asked to call all available EMTs to the scene.
"We've got one possibly trapped in the train, possibly alive. I've got DOAs in the train as well," said one caller with the Valhalla Volunteer Ambulance. "Multiple injuries. Let's get everybody down now."
"All units, more ambulances are needed for a car versus train motor vehicle accident," a dispatcher with the Mount Pleasant and Pleasantville police said.
"When you get set up... to the front of the train, there's a lot of injuries on the train," another dispatch with the police department stated.
The transmissions got increasingly frantic as first responders encountered the spectacular fire and rushed to get passengers away from the fiery, smoky scene.
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"Just notify somebody, hotline or whatever. Just get this Commerce Street shut down at Stevens. We've got cars coming down here, I've got a fire line across the street here," one responder on the scene said.
A plan of evacuation quickly fell into place as firefighters, EMS and police designated a holding area for the passengers who weren't hurt.
"The owner of The Cliffs has offered to bring these people there to warm them up so once we get this train evacuated, we'll get them there," one responder is heard saying, referring to the rock-climbing gym nearby.
