Mourners gather in NY to remember train operator killed in DC crash; being hailed as hero

Mourners gather to remember ‘hero’ train operator

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Mourners are gathering in upstate New York to remember a Washington, D.C., train operator credited with saving lives in last week’s rail crash that killed her and eight passengers.

Jeanice McMillan’s funeral is being held Wednesday in her hometown of Buffalo. The 42-year-old, a devoted mother to her college-age son, moved to the Washington area more than a decade ago and became a Metro transit train operator in March.

Federal investigators have said there’s evidence McMillan applied an emergency brake before the train rear-ended another one stopped at a station on June 22.

The transit agency’s general manager has said McMillan was a hero and predicted investigators will ultimately find her actions saved lives. The accident was the deadliest in the system’s 33-year history.