LIRR Train Accident Injures More Than 100 People in Brooklyn Crash

In an event eerily similar to the deadly New Jersey Transit train accident at the Hoboken Terminal in September, a Long Island Railroad train crashed into a barrier at the end of the line at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. The accident occurred at the height of the morning rush, putting hundreds of commuters in danger.

The train originated from Far Rockaway, Queens, and headed into track 6 at the Brooklyn station between 8:15 and 8:30 Wednesday morning. Some of the more than 650 passengers noticed the train traveling at a higher rate of speed than normal. Instead of stopping at the platform, the train rammed into the bumper block at the end of the track, sending the first car off the rails, up and over the bumper, and into a wall. People on the train were unaware of what had happened, just that there was a large booming noise at impact, instantly followed by passengers being thrown against seats and into the train’s windows and doors.

The next few hours saw commuters making their way through the broken glass and debris at the station as they searched for medical attention. Even with more than 100 injuries reported from the accident, the most serious one appears to be a woman with a broken leg. FDNY officials reported seeing one of the rails piercing through the floor of the train, which could have led to more severe injuries.

Federal, state and local officials including the National Transportation Safety Board will be onsite to try and determine why the train did not stop before reaching the barrier. The train’s recorder (or black box) keeps a record of speed and braking, and officials hope it will give them an idea on whether the accident was caused by mechanical on human error. In the Hoboken crash where the train entered the station at a high rate of speed, the engineer was diagnosed with sleep apnea, a condition that can cause drowsiness during the day.

The LIRR is not expecting serious delays in and out of the Atlantic Terminal as the other tracks and structure of the building were impacted. There are also no reported delays on the nine NYC subway lines which also run through the busy Brooklyn transportation hub. Even though the injuries suffered as a result of this accident were not life-threatening, it is still caused by concern that accidents such as these keep happening. If you or someone you love has been injured as the result of a train or railroad accident, you need the attorneys who will not be intimidated by the government agencies in charge of your safety. Do not delay. Please call the lawyers at Finz & Finz, P.C., today.