Mayor Gray to Unveil Plaque in Honor of Metro Crash Victims

WHAT/WHO:              Mayor Vincent C. Gray, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman, family members of crash victims and first responders will unveil a memorial plaque in honor of the victims of the June 22, 2009 Metrorail crash, which killed nine people.

WHEN:                                 Friday, June 22, 2012
                                             10:00 a.m. 

WHERE:                               New Hampshire Avenue/Langley Bridge

                                              New Hampshire Avenue & South Dakota Avenue NE

BACKGROUND:           On June 22, 2009, the Washington region experienced a horrific event that claimed the lives of nine victims. Eighty additional passengers were injured. The Metro crash that day was the deadliest accident in the system’s history, and one of the worst rail accidents ever. It united those victims in a common tragic destiny, left 12 children orphaned and impacted the families and the community in ways that reverberate still. To honor the victims, celebrate the heroism of the first responders and uplift the community, Mayor Gray has commissioned a memorial plaque and initiated planning for a memorial park and garden.