Car Falls 30 Feet, Lands on Commuter Rail

A female driver pitched off an overpass in Mount Vernon during tonight's commute, crashing some 30 feet down onto the New Haven line tracks and defying almost certain death amid four sets of rails — each with 600 volts of direct-current electricity. 

Details about the driver and the extent of her injuries were not immediately known, but Metro-North spokesman Dan Brucker said she survived the 7:45 p.m. plunge.

"It was not New Haven line commuters' lucky day, but it sure as hell was her lucky day," Brucker said.

Commuters from all around Westchester and Fairfield counties were affected, bound for stations such as Larchmont, Rye, Greenwich and Westport, with train service stopped completely for about 45 minutes in both directions, until 8:32 p.m., which is when service resumed at a reduced pace.

Outbound commuters weren't stuck on the tracks. "The trains were being held 'in-house' as we say, in Grand Central," Brucker said.

As of 10 p.m. the vehicle — it looked like a tan SUV — was still on the tracks at the Mount Vernon East Station.

The vehicle pushed through a heavy fence near the guardrail of the overpass at the intersection of South 6th St. and West 1st St.

The chain of events that happened after the driver lost contact with the road were simply "astounding," Brucker said.

"Her motor car somehow missed contact with four 600-volt direct-current rails. She survived the accident. Her car didn't explode and she was not immolated because of the (likely) fire," he said. "It's astounding the car didn't explode on contact with the third rail."

He also noted the driver missed being hit by a train.

"She survived almost four or five definite catastrophes that could have happened from this accident," he said.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority police, which govern activity and accidents on the railroad's right of way, were handling the investigation and Brucker said they wouldn't have an ID or more details until the morning.

Editor's Note: This story was republished from Patch sites that are local to the New Haven line.