Train Derails in New York, Killing 4
A commuter train derailed in a curve in the New York borough of the Bronx on Sunday, killing four people and leaving dozens hurt, investigators said.
All seven passenger cars and the locomotive jumped the tracks near the Spuyten Duyvil station, about 10 miles north of Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal, the National Transportation Safety Board reported. Three of the dead were thrown out of the train as it "came off the track and was twisting and turning," New York Fire Department Chief Edward Kilduff told reporters.
The train was en route to Grand Central from Poughkeepsie, 74 miles up the Hudson River, when it derailed about 7:20 a.m., NTSB member Earl Weener said Sunday. At least 67 people were injured, said Joe Bruno, New York's commissioner of emergency management, and 11 remained in critical condition Sunday evening, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters.
Surviving passenger Amanda Swanson told CNN the windows of the coaches broke out, and "the gravel came flying up in our faces."
"I really didn't know if I would survive," said Swanson, who put her bag in front of her face to block the rubble. "The train felt like it was on its side and dragging for a long time. ... The whole thing felt like slow motion."
On "New Day", she says, "the only thing I was thinking was I have to stay alive." (SEE VIDEO BELOW)
NTSB board member Earl Weener has been on scene at the train derailment site and says the board is in the process of downloading and validating the data collected from the train's recording devices. (SEE VIDEO BELOW)
"We hope to interview the conductor and the engineer later today or tomorrow and that combined with the data from the event recorders will give us a pretty good insight into what was going on," Weener says.
"With this particular train, we will be looking at the maintenance records as well as the records related to the operator and the maintenance of the tracks and signaling equipment."
Governor Cuomo is backing the investigating and tells "New Day", "We want to find out what the specific cause of the accident was, to see if there’s anything we can learn from to make sure a tragedy like this doesn't happen again. (SEE VIDEO BELOW)
He says emergency responders have meanwhile been working through the night and the trains will be moved out so service can resume by the end of the week.
“Our first concern is the safety and the treatment of the families who’ve been injured. Second, we want to find out what happened so we can learn. But third we want to get the rail back up. There are tens of thousands of commuters who use this rail and hopefully by the end of the week it’ll be up and running.”
Sinkhole in Florida Swallows Part of a House
A sinkhole swallowed part of a house in Florida on Thursday, the county sheriff's office said.
Deputies responded to the scene in Dunedin to find the hole behind the house had also swallowed a tree and a small boat.
Homeowner Mike Dupre spoke with "New Day's" Chris Cuomo about the incident Thursday.
Dupre said he was already working with his insurance to get the house and ground fixed when the sinkhole opened up.
"We just got out of the house as fast as possible," he said. "My boat sunk into that crater. It's a nightmare."
Hundreds of sinkholes form every year in Florida. In August, one gobbled up a condo building in the town of Clermont.
Attorney: "This Was Cold Blooded Murder"
Police officer Randall Kerrick has been charged with voluntary manslaughter – a felony, for killing ex-FAMU football player Jonathan Ferrell in North Carolina, after the young black man was in a car accident and looking for help.
In an exclusive interview with "New Day," Cache Heidel, Ferrell's fiancee, tells CNN's Chris Cuomo she hopes the man's death can be a cause for change moving forward.
“That is a hope I have. That his death will resound with America in general for a country that prides itself on being diverse and inclusive and accepting everyone for who they are.”
Officers were responding to a "breaking and entering" 911 call at a home in Charlotte where the homeowner told dispatchers that a man had been knocking on her door repeatedly.
Police say that when they got to the scene, a man matching the caller's description ran toward them.
One of the officers fired his stun gun, but it was "unsuccessful." Then Kerrick opened fire several times, killing Ferrell, police said.
The Ferrell family attorney Chris Chesnut now says police should release the dash-cam video of the incident to the public for both training purposes and so viewers can see what happened for themselves.
“I think the tape is the reason Officer Kerrick was arrested,” Chesnut says. “I think once his superiors saw the blatant, not only negligence but that this was cold blooded murder—I think it's unprecedented for an officer to be arrested this quickly. I think the tape confirms that and I think, frankly the facts his attorneys are alleging are wholly consistent with what's on that video. And that’s why we want the video released.”
The officer was released on $50,000 bond and is now awaiting trial.
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