Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

A5
U.S. NEWS Thursday 28 February 2019

3 people killed in train-vehicle collision on Long Island

WESTBURY, N.Y. (AP) — Two
commuter trains traveling
in opposite directions col-
lided with a vehicle on the
tracks in Westbury, killing
all three occupants in the
vehicle before one of the
trains derailed and tore
into a concrete platform
Tuesday night, according
to officials.
Nassau County Police
Commissioner Patrick Ryder
said the vehicle was "trying
to beat the gate" when it
was struck just before 7:30
p.m. He said one of the
trains, which was carrying
about 200 passengers and
headed for Manhattan,
was going at "full speed"
when it crashed.
"The train then leaves the
track and takes out the
platform and the hits the
north side of the platform
and takes off about 30 First responders work the scene of a collision involving a Manhattan-bound commuter train and a
yards of concrete, which vehicle in Westbury, N.Y., Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019.
goes through the train," Ry- Associated Press
der said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo a station platform, crush- the fifth incident at the railroad crossings in 2017,
called for a "full investiga- ing part of it. Many emer- crossing in the last 40 years, the U.S. Department of
tion into the collision," which gency vehicles were on and the second involving a Transportation launched
also sent seven people on the scene, including some train hitting a vehicle, ac- a public awareness cam-
the trains to local hospitals ambulances. The doors of cording to federal safety paign with the slogan "Stop!
with non-fatal injuries and the train were open and data. In the others, a per- Trains Can't." The Federal
forced the evacuation of firefighters and other emer- son walking or standing on Railroad Administration de-
nearly 1,000 passengers gency workers could be the tracks was hit by a train. veloped a crossing-finder
and crew on the two trains. seen entering and moving As part of the LIRR expan- app and persuaded tech-
Long Island Rail Road Presi- through the cars. Service sion and modernization nology companies to add
dent Phillip Eng said the was suspended in both di- project, the railroad's "A grade-crossing warnings to
vehicle went around the rections on the Ronkonk- Modern LI" website said it GPS devices and mapping
grade crossing and was oma and Huntington/Port planned to eliminate the applications. In 2017, there
struck by the train that Jefferson branches. School Street grade cross- were 2,115 grade-crossing
was leaving Westbury sta- Passenger Kiara Jackson ing, saying it "poses a safe- crashes in the U.S., resulting
tion. He said the gates at told Newsday she heard ty risk to drivers, pedestrians in 271 deaths. That was the
the crossing were properly the sound of metal drag- and LIRR customers," and highest yearly grade-cross-
functioning. ging along the concrete replace it with a "two-way ing death toll in a decade
"The gates were down, the platform. grade separated under- (2008 had 290).
lights were flashing. We've "I knew something was pass." Full-year data isn't avail-
confirmed that they were wrong. We were in a pan- After a spike in deaths at able for 2018.q
functioning," he said. "Wit- ic," Jackson said. "There
nesses have said the vehi- was a screech and then
cle went around the gates, there was a thud. They told
at which point the train that us to walk westerly and
was leaving, heading east- there were two small fires.
bound, and the vehicle Smoke was kind of com-
collided. ing in so they told us to just
A westbound train travel- keep walking."
ing toward Westbury then Another passenger, April
struck the vehicle, he said. Frazier, 31, of Brooklyn, was
The vehicle was pushed heading to Manhattan's
and that's when the front Penn Station.
two cars of the westbound "I was sitting on the left side
train came off the rails, Eng and all of a sudden the
said. train really started rocking
Local TV news helicopter hard," Frazier told Newsday.
video showed the train "Flames flared up on my
cars standing upright after side. I heard the conduc-
the wreck, but with the for- tor yell 'Brake, brake!' That's
ward cars off the rails. One when I saw the flames."
end of one the trains struck Tuesday night's crash was