It left Binghamton at 2:50 p.m. (30 minutes behind schedule), and traveled the 120 miles (190 km) to the crash site in approximately three hours.
[7] Ambulances, doctors, and nurses from the nearby towns of Dansville and Hornell responded to the scene to treat the victims.
[6] Minor injuries were given first-aid treatment in clinics set up in a local American Legion building and Masonic Hall.
[11] Twenty-three New York State Troopers as well as deputies from the Steuben, Ontario and Livingston County Sheriff's Office responded.
Six of the cars remained upright and were used to transport the passengers back eastward to Elmira for treatment of minor injuries and to spend the night.
[14] The DL&W sent a train from Hoboken, New Jersey, the next day with relatives of the victims to aid in identification of the dead, some of whom were scalded beyond recognition.
There was other conflicting testimony over what signals were given, switch settings, the schedule of the passenger train, and whether the crew believed they could be on the main track for another ten minutes even though that was against formal rules.
[15] The ICC concluded the cause of the accident was a failure of the railroad to "adhere to and enforce operating rules which are essential to safety".
The ICC report concluded with "Similar accidents may be expected to occur as long as operating officials fail to conform to the practices prescribed by their rules.
[18] As a result of the accident, the Public Service Commission ordered the DL&W to install derailing devices as an added safety measure on most sidings connecting to the main lines of the Scranton, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Utica divisions.