Dobbs Ferry, NY – Jewish Mother Killed In Train Crash Remebered As ‘Beautiful Soul’

    7

    Chabad Rabbi Benji Silverman, of Chabad of the Rivertowns,,talks to the media before the funeral of Ellen Brody, in Dobbs Ferry, NY, Friday, Feb. 6, 2015. Brody, 49, mother of three, was killed along with five rail passengers on Tuesday night, when a Metro-North commuter train crashed into her vehicle on the tracks at a railroad crossing in Valhalla, N.Y.,  (AP Photo/Richard Drew)Dobbs Ferry, NY – The SUV driver involved in a train wreck that claimed six lives was “a beautiful soul” who always took a genuine interest in others, her rabbi said Friday at her funeral.

    Join our WhatsApp group

    Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email


    Many young adults were among the mourners at the Dobbs Ferry funeral for Ellen Brody, a 49-year-old mother of three daughters in their teens and 20s.

    “I was looking through our archives last night. We have dozens of pictures of Ellen,” Rabbi Benjy Silverman said before the service. “And in each one, without fail, she has a huge smile, a warm smile. We call it the Ellen Smile.”

    She was “a beautiful soul” who found the beauty in others, Silverman said.

    “She adored her daughters and husband. She was their biggest fan and supporter,” he said.

    Brody worked at a suburban jewelry store and was married to Alan Brody, an author and journalist. She was active in Chabad of the Rivertowns throughout the synagogue’s 12 years.

    “She was a warm, vivacious and dynamic presence in our lives, and the most loving and nurturing mother, wife, daughter and sister,” Ellen Brody’s family said in a statement.

    Another funeral was planned Friday in Mount Kisco for 53-year-old Eric Vandercar, one of the five train passengers killed.

    According to investigators’ preliminary findings, Brody’s car was in the danger zone inside railroad crossing gates for about half a minute before the train hit.
    This photo provided by the Brody family shows an undated photo of Ellen Brody who was killed in the SUV that was hit by the train in New York Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015.  (AP Photo/Family photo via Jeff Schaeffer)
    Brody got ahead of the crossing gate in inching traffic, then got out of her car to examine it after the gate came down and hit the back of it, a witness has said. But then she got back in, seeming unhurried, and advanced onto the track, the witness told news outlets and investigators.

    The train’s engineer also told investigators that he saw the car moving onto the tracks.

    Data recorders also show the Metro-North Railroad train’s engineer hit the emergency brakes and sounded the horn as the train bore down on the Valhalla crossing, traveling 58 mph in a 60 mph zone, National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Thursday.

    Flashing warning lights at the crossing illuminated 39 seconds before the crash, and the gates came down a few seconds later, Sumwalt said. That would leave about 30 seconds that the SUV was inside the gates.
    FILE - People arrive for the funeral of Ellen Brody, at Chabad of the Rivertowns, in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., Friday, Feb. 6, 2015.  Brody, 49, mother of three, was killed along with five rail passengers when a Metro-North commuter train crashed into her vehicle on the tracks at a railroad crossing in Valhalla, N.Y.,  (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
    Investigators haven’t found any problems with the warning signals or the nearby traffic lights, which are synched to let drivers clear the crossing when a train is coming, Sumwalt said. The crossing also had painted warnings on its pavement, and a sign 65 feet from the rail warns drivers not to stop on the tracks, he noted.

    After the impact, flames enveloped the SUV and part of the train, and the electrified third rail pierced them. Hundreds of passengers scrambled through spreading smoke and fear, some helping each other to escape despite their own injuries.

    Trains hit cars on the tracks many times a year, but such crashes rarely kill train riders. Investigators have emphasized that they want to figure out why this one did, becoming the deadliest accident in the 32-year history of one of the nation’s busiest commuter railroads.


    Listen to the VINnews podcast on:

    iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon

    Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates


    Connect with VINnews

    Join our WhatsApp group


    7 Comments
    Most Voted
    Newest Oldest
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    Tzi_Bar_David
    Tzi_Bar_David
    9 years ago

    I recall from Driver Ed that one should not try to drive across tracks unless it’s clear to drive *ALL* the way across.

    Mazal1
    Mazal1
    9 years ago

    Maybe someone should look at ceel phone account

    PaulinSaudi
    PaulinSaudi
    9 years ago

    She seems to have made a mistake. But it is better to speak no ill of the dead.

    einikel
    einikel
    9 years ago

    I knew her very well, she always helped her husband Alan, organizing start up/investor events in Manhattan, I even met her last Thursday,
    What a special person, full of life,

    9 years ago

    I’m not going to refer to this specific accident, as it was very horrific. However, there was a study done by the Federal government about ten years ago, which concluded that 94% of the accidents at railroad grade crossings, occurred because drivers either ignored the flashing lights, and/or closing gates, or attempted to outrace the train. It is extremely important that whenever a motorist approaches a railroad grade crossing, that they slow down, look both ways, and listen for the sound of an approaching train; they should not depend solely on the warning lights or gates, since the latter may or may not be working. Some years ago, I followed my own advice and slowed down at a grade crossing. The idiotic motorist in back of me was honking his horn, as he wanted to go faster. I ignored him, as I’d rather deal with a hostile motorist, than with a fast approaching locomotive!

    9 years ago

    BDE. There is no purpose in speculating why the niftar moved her car on to the tracks and stopped….its a tragic loss and nothing gained by seeking to establish what was going on in her mind to make her do this..