A train on the Long Island Railroad derailed at a station in Brooklyn earlier this morning, crashing at Atlantic Terminal station, one of the busiest and most populated stops. According to the New York Fire Department, more than 100 people were injured and thousands of others were caught in the delays that ensued due to the accident. The majority of injuries sustained came when the train, traveling from Far Rockaway, Queens, made a sudden stop after crashing into a bumper block at the end of the tracks.
Though the incident left many passengers injured, the remaining 600 to 700 were able to walk away unscathed. Those who sustained injuries were taken to nearby Brooklyn hospitals. Several respondents were on the scene as a result. Though some injuries were physically sustained, others were shaken by the outcome of the misfortune. A minute-long video posted to Facebook by commuter Angela Wheeler-Yelder is displayed on the New York Times’ website; the footage shows the badly damaged train and the onlooking rush-hour crowd. “My [expletive] train has just derailed. Are you [expletive] serious? My hands are shaking,” Wheeler-Yelder stated in the video.
The cause of the derailment is unknown. Chairman of MTA Thomas F. Predergast told the New York Times that there were no known obstructions or malfunctions that should have prevented the train from stopping properly, and held the operator responsible for the accident that ensued. At the scene, Governor Cuomo said that there will be an investigation into the incident. Investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been sent to the crash site.
Among the injuries and damages, no fatalities resulted from the derailment.