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This story was reported by Craig Schneider, Nirmal Mitra, Nicole Fuller, Ellen Yan, Bridget Murphy, Alfonso Castillo, Matthew Chayes, Howie Schnapp and Zachary R. Dowdy. It was written by Yan and Fuller.
Two Long Island Rail Road trains struck a vehicle "trying to beat the door" at a railway crossing Tuesday night in Westbury, killing all three occupants of the vehicle before the westbound train derailed, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,000 passengers and crew members, authorities said.
The vehicle was struck by the eastbound train, then pushed into the westbound train track, before being crushed, torn into pieces and jammed between the two. The authorities were unable to identify the victims or the type of vehicle.
After the collision, the westbound train from Ronkonkoma, filled with at least 800 passengers, traveled half a kilometer and crashed on the concrete platform from Westbury Station to 7:20 pm, sending pieces of concrete flying.
A piece crashed into the first car, which held the driver. He then crossed the train and actually "sued" him, said Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
The passengers shouted and the mothers silenced their children when the flames of the crash burst right outside the windows, on one side of the train heading west, passengers said.
"I was sitting left and all of a sudden, the train really started to rock very hard. The flames ignited on my side, "said April Frazier, 31, of Brooklyn, who was on the westbound train. I heard the trainmaster shout: "Brake, brake!". That's when I saw the flames. That's where it became real. I'm still shaken. You do not know You think you could die. I say to myself: it may be my last day.
Frazier said that everything had calmed down for a few minutes and that a driver had crossed the car on the phone.
A few passengers at 18:36 from Ronkonkoma members bound for Penn Station were slightly injured and were transported to the Nassau University Medical Center, police said.
LIRR President Phillip Eng at the scene Tuesday night said that 200 feet of track will have to be replaced and crews will work until Wednesday morning, but commuters should expect delays. The service was suspended in both directions from the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson branches, LIRR officials said.
Ryder stated that the westbound train was traveling at full speed when it struck the vehicle at the intersection of School Street, just east of the station, and then derailed.
"The train then leaves the track and exits the wharf, then hits the north side of the wharf and removes about 30 meters of concrete, which crosses the train," he said.
Governor Andrew Cuomo requested an investigation, including from the National Transportation Safety Board.
"While we continue to gather information about the incident, my thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones," Cuomo said in a statement. "Following this tragedy, I request the opening of a thorough investigation into the collision, including with the full cooperation of the MTA, the State Police, law enforcement forces local and NTSB. "
Eng confirmed that the crossing gates were lowered and that "the lights were flashing" at the time of the accident.
He said those who try to beat the gates at crossings "take their lives in the hands of those of others".
Hundreds of first responders, ranging from firefighters to police officers to MTA police and doctors, visited the scene.
Relief workers placed a ladder on the westbound train and evacuated passengers on the rail bed, including a mother with two small children.
Kiara Jackson said that she was on the westbound train when she heard the sound of metal hanging out along the concrete platform. She felt a sudden stop – then saw an explosion of flames.
"I knew something was wrong – we were panicked," she said, her two young girls at her side. "There was a scream, then a thud. They told us to walk to the west and that there were two small fires. The smoke came in some way, so they told us to keep walking.
Yuri Cruz, 32, of Bay Shore, Dispatcher at Universal Taxi who was working in the office opposite LIRR Station at the time of the accident, said: "I was sitting and I was heard a big explosion. It was big as an earthquake. "
Cruz said he then looked out the window of the taxi company and found that a train had stopped.
"I heard people screaming," she said. "A few minutes later, I heard all the cops and ambulances coming. It was crazy. "
Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro said the location would be through a grade crossing that will be eliminated by the railway's third track project. There were six fatal crossing accidents on the LIRR mainline corridor between 2007 and 2017.
The collision came hours after a westbound train hit a man on the railroad track Tuesday afternoon between Baldwin and Freeport stations, the Long Island Rail Road reported. Service was restored in both directions at 5:45 pm, the LIRR announced.
The crossing is located between several lanes along a 10-mile corridor between Floral Park and Hicksville, where the construction of a third $ 2.6-billion runway began in September.
Officials said it was potentially the largest public works project on Long Island for decades.
Contrary to previous proposals, the new effort also includes the removal of seven level crossings, which, according to project officials, will reduce traffic accidents, congestion and noise. Noise barriers, nearly 2,500 new parking spaces and station improvements are also part of the plan.
Three people in a vehicle tried to "beat the door" Tuesday night at a railway crossing. They were killed by a westbound train heading "at full speed" to Westbury, then hit by an eastbound train, authorities said.
Unable to stop, the westbound Long Island Rail Road train from Ronkonkoma, filled with at least 200 passengers, traveled approximately half a kilometer and crashed on the Westbury station platform at approximately 7:20 pm , sending pieces of concrete flying, including The front car, said Patrick Ryder, police commissioner of Nassau County, on the scene.
"The train then leaves the track and exits the wharf, then hits the north side of the wharf and removes about 30 meters of concrete, which runs through the train," Ryder said.
The concrete that crossed the train actually "chased" the driver and forced him to run on the train to avoid it, the police commissioner said.
The passengers shouted and the mothers silenced their children when flames erupted just outside the windows, on one side of the train heading west.
"I was sitting to the left and all of a sudden, the train really started to rock," said April Frazier, 31, from Brooklyn, who was heading to Penn Station. "Flames ignited on my side. I heard the driver shouting: "Brake, brake!", That's when I saw the flames.
"That's where it became real. I'm still shaken. You do not know You think you could die. I say to myself: it may be my last day. "
She said that everything had calmed down for a few minutes, a driver went through the car on the phone.
Hundreds of first responders, firefighters, MTA police and doctors, attended the scene of the accident after the collision, which occurred at School Street, at the time of the accident. East of Westbury Station.
Ryder said some of the passengers had minor injuries. A Red Cross bus brought other people to Hicksville Station.
The service was suspended in both directions from the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson branches, the LIRR announced. Ryder warns that it will take some time before the traces are erased.
The vehicle struck by the train was left in pieces, Ryder said. "The three occupants of the vehicle were killed," he said.
Officials said that it was not clear whether the vehicle was a truck, a trailer or a car.
It appears that the first two cars derailed and the rescuers placed a ladder next to the train and helped the passengers get on the bed of the railway, including a mother whose two young children were crying.
LIRR President Phill Eng Eng was on the scene Tuesday night.
Two Newsday employees on the train said the train struck two humps just after 7:15 pm, as flames broke out on one side of the car window when the train stopped just before the train. Westbury station.
"People started shouting," said Newsday reporter Craig Schneider, who boarded the train at Farmingdale.
6:36 PM A train from Ronkonkoma struck the vehicle on School Street, about 800 meters east of Westbury Station, officials said.
It was hot in the car, Newsday editor Nirmal Mitra said, but the train continued for about two minutes after passing the flames.
Police said the train hit a motor vehicle and the station platform was "really destroyed," Schneider said. The cement on the station platform seemed to be falling apart, he said.
Shortly after the strike, the rescuers helped the passengers descend the stairs from the elevated lanes to the railroad and directed them to Linden Avenue, about one block east of the city. the station, in order to wait for the transport, said Mitra.
The collision came hours after a westbound train hit a man on the railroad track Tuesday afternoon between Baldwin and Freeport stations, the Long Island Rail Road reported. Service was restored in both directions at 5:45 pm, the LIRR announced.
Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro said the location would be through a grade crossing that will be eliminated by the railway's third track project.
The crossing is located between several lanes along a 10-mile corridor between Floral Park and Hicksville, where the construction of a third $ 2.6-billion runway began in September.
In September, the LIRR stated that the third runway would allow it to more easily bypass disturbances.
on its main line and provide sufficient capacity to run additional trains, including for riders who depart in the opposite direction during peak hours. Proponents also said the project would increase property values and create jobs on Long Island.
A business located near the School Street crossing would be leveled to accommodate retaining walls in which the road would pass under raised runways. The MTA plans to create a two-way underpass and raise the rails by several feet
Officials said it was potentially the largest public works project on Long Island for decades.
Contrary to previous proposals, the new effort also includes the removal of seven level crossings, which, according to project officials, will reduce traffic accidents, congestion and noise. Noise barriers, nearly 2,500 new parking spaces and station improvements are also part of the plan.
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