News

Actions

At least 103 hurt after train derails in New York City

Posted at 8:55 AM, Jan 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-04 11:15:21-05

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A transit train went through a bumper block and came off the track at a New York station during Wednesday's morning rush hour, the city's fire department said.

The train had come to the end of the line at the Atlantic Terminal Station, officials said, but crashed into a small room just beyond the end of the track. It is unclear how fast the train was going.

Two cars came off the track, and the bottom of one of those cars was pierced by a piece of the rail, said Dan Donoghue, a deputy assistant chief.

"It could have been quite a bit worse, without a doubt," Donoghue said. "We were fortunate. I don't believe there was anyone in the room (that was struck)."

He estimated that 600 to 700 people were on the train.

At least 103 people suffered injuries, the fire department said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters the person with the most significant injury was a woman with a possible broken leg.

Cuomo described it as a "relatively minor" accident and said it "wasn't really a derailment."

 

 

The cause of the incident, on Long Island Rail Road Track 6 in Brooklyn, was not immediately clear. Fire officials deferred additional questions to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

MTA President Thomas Prendergast said there was some damage but said everything should be running smoothly by afternoon rush hour.

One witness, who only wanted to be identified as Sophie, saw the aftermath of the incident from the platform. She posted a photo of a mangled train door with a window busted.

"I went onto the platform because the train I needed to board was on the track on the other side of the platform," Sophie said.

"While on my train, I saw teams of firefighters and police rushing in to help. A few people were still on the train, and others who had gotten off were a little bruised but emotionally shaken," she said. "A few people were crying and calling their loved ones. Dozens were trying to take photos."

Federal Railroad Administration investigators are en route to the Brooklyn station, according to an agency spokesman.

In October, a Long Island Rail Road train derailment left 33 people injured. The first three carriages of the 12-car train derailed about half a mile east of the New Hyde Park station.

In that case, the train derailed after colliding with part of a work train running in the same direction on an adjacent track, Prendergast said.

A piece of equipment from the work train ended up "violating the clearance envelope of the other track," he said.

The cause of the incident, on Long Island Rail Road Track 6 in Brooklyn, was not immediately clear. Fire officials deferred additional questions to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which did not immediately respond to CNN's questions about the cause.

One witness, who only wanted to be identified as Sophie, saw the aftermath of the incident from the platform. She posted a photo of a mangled train door with a window busted.

"I went onto the platform because the train I needed to board was on the track on the other side of the platform," Sophie said.

"While on my train, I saw teams of firefighters and police rushing in to help. A few people were still on the train, and others who had gotten off were a little bruised but emotionally shaken," she said. "A few people were crying and calling their loved ones. Dozens were trying to take photos."

As of midmorning, no other train service had been affected, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said, but future delays are possible.

"Anticipate possible delays into and out of Atlantic Terminal this morning due to an incident at the terminal," Long Island Rail Road tweeted.

In October, a Long Island Rail Road train derailment left 33 people injured. The first three carriages of the 12-car train derailed about half a mile east of the New Hyde Park station.

In that case, the train derailed after colliding with part of a work train running in the same direction on an adjacent track, MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast said.

A piece of equipment from the work train ended up "violating the clearance envelope of the other track," he said.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2017 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.