A Long Island Rail Road train derailed during rush hour this morning in Brooklyn, injuring 103 people. Fire Department officials stated that the train from Far Rockaway derailed at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn when it struck a bumping block at track 6 in the terminal around 8:20 a.m., causing the first car to come off of the rail. Approximately 700 people were on board the train at the time of the incident.
One LIRR employee, who declined to be identified, explained that the train had gone beyond the area where it should stop and ultimately hit the bumping block, a device used to prevent trains from going past a certain point on the track. Passengers on the train described hearing a loud boom as the train pulled into the station just before the train came to a stop and the doors opened.
Fire officials also reported that a small section of the rail itself pierced the bottom of the train as a result of the crash. Despite the high number of individuals injured this morning, the derailment was described as a “relatively minor accident” by Governor Andrew Cuomo, with those 103 suffering minor injuries, the worst of which is reported to be a possible broken leg. Damage to the station itself was also reported to be minor.
Today’s derailment comes just four months after a New Jersey Transit train crashed into the Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey, killing a woman on the platform and injuring 100 other people. Both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Rail Administration have announced that they have begun investigations into the crash.
