Long Island Railroad Work Train Crashes Into Passenger Train; Passengers, Workers Injured

A Long Island Railroad (LIRR) work train sideswiped a passenger train on Saturday night, October 8th, leaving at least 33 workers and passengers injured, some with broken bones and concussions.

Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of accident victims and their families, comments on an LIRR crash Saturday night involving a work train and a passenger train. According to an October 8, 2016 The New York Post report, at least 29 people were sent to the hospital with injuries that included concussions and broken bones. An additional 50-100 passengers required at-the-scene injuries. The New York Post: (http://nypost.com/2016/10/08/29-hospitalized-after-long-island-railroad-train-accident/)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo described that a work train “sideswiped” Long Island Railroad carriages leaving at least 33 injured, four of them seriously, according to The Associated Press (AP). According to the governor, a 12-car LIRR train carrying 600 people was involved. He said that it seemed that a train conducting maintenance work appeared to have violated the clearance space of an LIRR train. Both trains were travelling east when they crashed. (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/09/long-island-train-derailment-scores-injured-after-collision)

Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) chairman Thomas Prendergast reported that at least 33 employees and passengers were injured, with four people sustaining serious injuries, the AP reported. According to the governor, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would be reviewing what led to the collision. About 600 passengers were traveling on the 12-car LIRR train.

The passenger train left Penn Station in Manhattan at 8:22 p.m. and was headed to Huntington, Long Island. The crash occurred just after 9:00 p.m. between the New Hyde Park and Merillon Avenue stations and took place near a switch. The first three cars derailed, according to officials. The New York Post noted this is where most of the injuries occurred. It remains unclear if a switch malfunction caused the crash; officials have no other explanation.

One passenger described a loud noise, the train shaking, and passengers screaming and crawling out of the car. He told The New York Post that the train car in front of his was tilted and he was then thrown from his seat. Another passenger described the train shaking and coming to a grinding halt. Passengers were trapped for 40 minutes and with the air condition turned off, “it was hard to breathe,” one passenger said. According to the media outlet, the work train caught fire and emergency workers removed some passengers by using ladders.

LIRR train service was suspended in both directions between Jamaica and Hicksville, according to the LIRR. Neighbors were told that track work would be occurring over the weekend, which led to closure of an overpass, according to The Post. The AP reported that LIRR service was suspended in both directions and Monday’s commute would likely be impacted. Officials said, on Sunday, that workers would attempt to clear at least one of the two tracks in time for Monday morning’s commute. The LIRR line is one of the busiest commuter routes into and out of Manhattan, the largest city in the United States, and the derailment led to suspension of service in both directions near the New Hyde Park stop, which is slightly east of the Queens border, noted the AP, the largest city in the United States, and the derailment led to suspension of service in both directions near the New Hyde Park stop, which is slightly east of the Queens border, noted the AP.

“Sadly, serious train derailments are occurring more and more frequently, said Keith Gitman, Managing Attorney at Parker Waichman LLP. “As a law firm that has represented many individuals and their families in personal injury lawsuits involving train accidents, Parker Waichman continues to offer free no-obligation legal consultations to those with questions about legal rights.”

For more information, please visit the firm's Accident page at yourlawyer.com. Free case evaluations are also available by calling 1(800) LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).