Mayor Gray Honors Victims of 2009 Metro Crash

On June 22, exactly three years after the worst rail accident in Washington, D.C. history, Mayor Vincent C. Gray joined national and local officials, and representatives of families of those killed or injured, to honor the victims with a plaque.

Mayor Gray unveiled a permanent memorial to the nine people who died in the train collision. The plaque, located on the New Hampshire Avenue/Charles Langley Bridge which spans the tracks where the crash occurred, reads:

On behalf of the residents of the District of Columbia

we will always remember those who perished

June 22, 2009

The bronze plaque lists the names of the victims: Jeanice E. McMillan, Train Operator; and passengers Mary “Mandy” Doolittle, Veronica “Ronnie” Dubose, Ana Fernandez, Dennis R. Hawkins, Lavonda “Nikki” King, Ann Wherley, Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr. and Cameron Taihi Williams.

“Today we unveil a memorial plaque that will serve as an everlasting testament to these nine members of our community,” Mayor Gray said in a statement. “They left us too soon, but we will forever remember what happened here. We will remember the fallen and find joy in their lives and the ways in which they enriched the world around them.”

Mayor Gray, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah P. Hersman and Metro officials described safety improvements to the Metro system, including the electronic circuits that send messages to metro cars that were determined to be the cause of the 2009 crash.