Train crash disasters and emergency plans of suburban hospitals in the New York City and Washington, DC areas: what went right; what could have been improved.

Two major train crashes in February--one in Northern New Jersey and the other in Silver Spring, MD, near Washington, DC--posed severe challenges to the disaster plans of area hospitals. The first crash involving two commuter trains near Secaucus, NJ, tested the effectiveness of emergency plans at the Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City, NJ, and the Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center, Secaucus. The incident occurred at approximately 8:40 a.m. and resulted in three deaths and 162 injuries. The Silver Spring crash, which took place a week after the one in New Jersey, occurred in early evening and involved an Amtrak and a commuter train. It resulted in 11 deaths and 26 injuries. Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, was the primary caregiver. In this report, we'll provide details on how the incidents impacted on nearby hospitals and their security staffs; how challenges, anticipated and unanticipated, were met; and what conclusions were reached in follow-up critiques.