A Valhalla resident says he has created a device that could have prevented one of the deadliest train crashes in Metro-North history.

Richard Bayliss has created a signage prototype that can be used with the existing gates at crossings.

The signage gives drivers instructions that could be attached to safety gates with a two-way hinge he invented.

It would allow the driver to go forward or backward if they became stuck in between the signs.

On Feb. 3, a Metro-North train slammed into the car of Ellen Brody on Commerce Street in Valhalla. Brody, of Edgemont, had begun to drive through the train crossing when a crossing gate came down on her car. She stopped, got out, inspected the damage and drove forward onto the tracks and into the path of a commuter train. The collision killed Brody and five people in the first car of the train.

Bayliss says his invention would cost no more than $1,000 to put the devices in place nationwide.