Multiple LIRR Train Incidents

The last few days for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) have not been good. First was the accident which happened last Friday as a Jamaica bound Montauk train hit a man shortly after leaving the Hampton Bay station. Here is the brief report about the incident by Bill Mason of Newsday:

A man sitting on the railroad tracks in Hampton Bays listening to a radio Friday afternoon was struck and critically injured by a Long Island Rail Road train, officials said.

“He was just sitting there,” said Det. Sgt. Andrew Roderick of the MTA police, who is investigating the accident. “It’s not an apparent suicide. It just appears to be an accident.”

The 2:51 p.m. train out of Montauk, scheduled to arrive in Jamaica at 5:50 p.m., was leaving the Hampton Bays station at 3:45 p.m. when it came around a curve to where the 51-year-old man was sitting, railroad officials said.

The man was sitting on a track listening to a radio and may have been attempting to get up as the train approached, said Susan McGowan, a LIRR spokeswoman. He was taken to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital in East Patchogue with internal injuries, she said. His name was being withheld pending notification of family.

The accident caused a two-hour delay for that westbound train and a 13-minute delay for one eastbound train, officials said.

The next victim was not as lucky as their meeting with a LIRR train was fatal. The unidentified man in his 60’s was struck by a Ronkonkoma bound train in Central Islip on Sunday afternoon. Marc Beja of Newsday has the brief report:

A man was killed yesterday after he was struck by a Long Island Rail Road train in Central Islip, the MTA said.

MTA police officers are still investigating how the unidentified man, in his 60s, was struck by the eastbound 12:07 p.m. Ronkonkoma train from Penn Station.

The man was hit at approximately 1:20 p.m. at Carleton Avenue and East Suffolk Avenue, MTA spokesman Sam Zambuto said. The train was scheduled to arrive at Ronkonkoma at 1:35, but was held for an hour and 45 minutes after the accident.

A westbound train was also an hour late. Suspended train service resumed at approximately 3 p.m., Zambuto said.

The last incident occurred on Monday as a Long Beach bound train hit a taxicab which tried to go around a down railroad crossing gate. Bill Mason of Newsday once again has the brief report:

A taxicab was clipped by a Long Island Rail Road passenger train in East Rockaway Monday after the taxi attempted to go around a down roadway crossing gate, railroad officials said.

No one was injured in the taxi or on the train, said Stanley Davis, a railroad spokesman. Train service in both directions on the Long Beach line was delayed into Monday evening.

The 3:55 p.m. passenger train out of Penn Station that was due in Long Beach at 4:46 p.m. struck the taxi at the Atlantic Avenue crossing near the East Rockaway Station, Davis said.

That train and the 4:15 p.m. train out of Penn Station that followed were canceled, Davis said, and passengers used the next scheduled train. That train, the 4:40 p.m. train due to arrive in Long Beach at 5:37 p.m., was also 45 minutes off its schedule as a result of the accident, Davis said. Westbound trains on the Long Beach branch also experienced delays of up to an hour, he said.

Davis said trains were running on or close to scheduled as of 7:20 p.m.

Seriously, what is it with these people being on the tracks. I’m absolutely dumbfounded by the first incident. Who the hell hangs out on the train tracks listening to the radio? I have heard of people just sitting to reflect on things. I’ve also heard of people wanting to vandalize property via graffiti or something similar. However I don’t recall ever hearing about someone just wanting to listen to the radio! I truly feel bad for train operators who always have to be on the lookout for selfish idiots who fail or choose not to realize that the train tracks are not meant to be a hangout spot.

Lets not get started on idiotic drivers putting lives in unnecessary danger. The crossing gate is clearly down for a reason yet this driver felt they were above the law. This kind of mentality seems to exist amongst many drivers who feel being in a vehicle gives them the right away over people, fellow drivers, & public transportation vehicles. The me first attitude is so strong that they put their own life & others in risk along with inconveniencing future riders for no legitimate reason. They deserve to have their license suspended for a minimum of 6 months!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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