Photos: More than 100 Passengers Injured In Brooklyn LIRR Commuter Train Derailment
- Details
- Category: World News
- Published on Thursday, 05 January 2017 08:04
- Written by Janet Walker
More than 100 passengers were injured, none life threatening, when the first two cars of the Long Island Railroad Commuter train failed to stop derailing at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal Station, near the Barclays Center in Downtown Brooklyn.
“From the appearance of the accident. The train came in and hit the so called bumping block, the block at the far end, and went by it for a few feet,” said New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
The minor crash, which occurred during the Wednesday morning rush hour, has been described as “some disturbance and lots of panic.”
As the train entered the Atlantic Terminal, a main transportation hub for Manhattan and the five surrounding boroughs, it slowed to a normal speed, of 10 to 15MPH and for reasons unknown failed to stop. Commuters on the six-car train were preparing to disembark, standing, and gathering their positions, when the train failed to stop.
The force ripped seats off their foundation, twisted steel and metal train car frames, and shattered glass windows.
“As the train approached the bumping block, went up and over the bumping block, the lead truck was derailed, and one other axel was derailed. We had a number of people injured on the train,” saidMetropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Tom Pendergast.
Passengers who were standing at the time were throw off their feet by the sharp jerking and sideways motions as the train. Most of the injuries came from those people not expecting a sudden stop.
Injuries have been minor, with the exception of one passenger suffering a broken leg. Bloody noses, arm injuries, slight head cuts and bruises have been the most common.
The bumping block, usually a bright yellow cushion block typically seen at the end of the track line, may be dated, which would not be unusual as the LIRR is an older and one of the busiest commuter trains in the country. An older bumping block would not have the shock absorbing ability as a newer and more modern system which depends less on bounce as on producing a full push stop.
The National Transportation Safety Board is on location in Brooklyn investigating. The Locomotive engineer, the conductor and the brakemen will all be interviewed.
This marks the second Commuter Train accident is less than four months for the New York New Jersey commuter system.
This is a developing story.
Image courtesy of Aaron Nuefeld and The People's Republic of China Photos posted on the LIRR Twitter Feed.
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