Jury selection begins for lawsuits stemming from fatal Mount Pleasant Metro-North crash
The horrific fatal crash occurred in February 2015 in the town of Mount Pleasant.
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Jury selection began today at the County Courthouse in White Plains for the civil trial stemming from the deadliest accident in Metro-North history.
The trial comes nearly nine years after the crash, as family members of those killed and injured seek accountability.
On Feb. 3, 2015, a Metro-North train packed with hundreds of evening rush-hour commuters left Grand Central Terminal. The Harlem Line express train, however, would never reach its destination.
An earlier accident on the Taconic State Parkway had forced drivers onto area back roads. Ellen Brody, 49, of Edgemont, found herself at the Commerce Street crossing in Mount Pleasant.
According to investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board, while waiting to cross, the safety gate lowered onto Brody's Mercedes SUV, signaling the oncoming train. Witnesses reported seeing Brody exit her car and walk to the rear, but then she got back in and drove forward instead of backward.
The train slammed into the car, pushing it along the tracks. The impact lifted the electrified third rail, piercing the SUV's gas tank and then the first train car, causing it to burst into flames. Brody and five passengers in the first car were killed, while 15 others sustained serious injuries.
The NTSB determined Brody caused the accident, but also cited a design flaw in the third rail.
Nearly two dozen plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against multiple defendants, including the MTA, Metro-North, and the owners of the track and underlying land.
