Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke joined her colleagues in the House of Representatives today in a moment of silence to honor the victims of a collision Tuesday evening in Valhalla, New York, between a vehicle and a Metro North Railroad train in which six people were killed and another twelve people were seriously injured – the deadliest crash in the history of the commuter rail service.

“On behalf of the people of the Ninth Congressional District of New York, I want to share my condolence with the victims of this terrible incident and with their families. Let us remember them in our prayers, and commend those passengers who, when the crash occurred, acted courageously to allow other passengers to escape. Let us honor their memory by dedicating ourselves to preventing such accidents in the future. Nearly 300,000 commuters travel on the Metro North Railroad each day of the week, and depend on its record of safety. I urge the National Transportation Safety Board and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to initiate a full investigation into this incident – as well as other recent crashes that have occurred on the Metro North Railroad. Our region cannot function without a reliable system of public transportation.”

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.