(Newswire.net — October 10, 2016) —The accident occurred Saturday at 9pm local time between the New Hyde Park and Merillon Avenue stations when an LIRR commuter train with about 600 passengers struck a work train and then partially derailed, LIRR spokesman Sal Arena explained..
The work train caught fire after the crash. Train services in the area were suspended in both directions indefinitely. The Federal Railroad Administration said that investigators will investigate the case.
Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano said the collision took place near a switch, but it was not clear if a switch malfunction was the cause. Officials have no other explanation at this time.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted early Sunday that 29 passengers were treated for injuries, with 11 transported to hospitals.
Mangano said at a press conference that none of the injuries are life-threatening. The injuries ranged from broken bones to lacerations to cuts. A few dozen people received medical aid on the spot due to scratches or bruises.
“We were riding along and I heard a noise,’’ passenger Lawrence Bialek told the New York Post. “It sounded like BAM! The train started to shake and then it stopped.”
“I saw the car in front of me flip over. There were a lot of people screaming and crying and crawling out of the cars. I was just so scared.”
According to the New York Post, neighbors said there were advised that the track work would be done over the weekend, resulting in the closure of an overpass.
Just nine days ago, a passenger train crashed into a terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey, which is one of the busiest railway lines in the western suburbs of New York.
This accident left one dead and more than a hundred people injured.
According to federal data, Long Island Rail Road trains have been involved in 72 accidents since 2011