New Hyde Park, NY: Thirty-three people were injured, four seriously, when two Long Island Rail Road trains carrying about 600 people sideswiped one another Saturday night, authorities said on Sunday.
The collision, of a maintenance train and a commuter train as they travelled eastbound, sheared chunks off the commuter train cars, several of which derailed just east of New Hyde Park station in Nassau County, trapping frightened passengers in the darkened cars for nearly an hour as rescue crews worked to free them.
More News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:21
New York train accident injures more than 30
- Video duration
- 02:47
Trump's press conference with Bill Clinton accusers
- Video duration
- 01:39
Obama weighs in on presidential race
- Video duration
- 02:23
2nd US presidential debate highlights
- Video duration
- 03:35
Analysis: Voters unlikely impacted by tense presidential debate
- Video duration
- 01:35
The survivors of the Philippines' war on drugs
- Video duration
- 01:14
Clinton, Trump end heated debate on civil note
- Video duration
- 01:33
WikiLeaks 'part of' Russian influence on US election
New York train accident injures more than 30
A work train and a commuter train "side-swiped" one another, causing a derailment that injured at least 33 people says New York's governor.
"When you look at the actual damage of the situation, the silver lining is we're fortunate that more people weren't severely hurt," Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said at a news conference at the scene of the crash on Sunday.
Behind him, three of the 12 commuter cars sat tipped at odd angles on the track, with deep gashes in the steel visible along the length of the train. "The damage to the train cars is extensive, and we had a number of injuries, but frankly that we didn't lose any life is something to be thankful for."
The cause of the collision, in which the maintenance train entered the track space of the commuter train, is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and is not yet known. It occurred just after 9pm on Saturday on the Oyster Bay line.
The crash closed the line in both directions; officials plan to reopen it, at least partially, by Monday.
"There was definitely a moment when it happened that you were like, 'All right, I'm dead,'" said Liana Salgado, 19. She was on her way back from Comic-Con with friends, all dressed as comic book characters, when she said the train gave a tremendous jolt, sending her coffee flying. She said she injured her shoulder but refused medical treatment.
The crash comes just over a week after a New Jersey Transit commuter train barrelled into the station wall at Hoboken Terminal, killing one person and injuring more than 100. Officials have said that train accelerated dramatically as it pulled into the station, rather than slowing down, and the investigation was continuing.
On the tracks outside of New Hyde Park, bursts of yellow paint were splattered on a commuter car, the contents of the maintenance train that had hit it, officials said.
"Issues with trains colliding with other trains or other objects occur on railroads all the time," Thomas F. Prendergast, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the Long Island Rail Road, said on Sunday. "Why it ended up where it did - violating the clearance of the other track - that's what we need to find out in the investigation."
Ray Martel, 41, a radio producer who lives in West Hempstead, was on the train when it came to a screeching, shuddering halt. He described himself as shaken, but unharmed.
The accident, combined with the episode in Hoboken, has made him concerned about just how safe trains are. "I think we need to spend more money on infrastructure," Martel said. "I'm not scared to ride them, but now I think we need to make this a priority."
New York Times