LIRR Worker Struck, Killed By Train In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island Rail Road train struck and killed a worker Saturday.
The LIRR train as traveling from Huntington to Penn Station when it hit the person west of the Queens Village station around 10:30 a.m.
"I knew it hit something, wasn't pretty," one rider told 1010 WINS' Roger Stern.
"We didn't hear very much at first, and then they just said there was a fatality," a woman added.
The train was evacuated and passengers walked along the tracks to the nearest platform.
"Brought us in lots of water, they were excellent, did a great job. And then they moved us to the back of the train and said there'd be buses," the woman said.
Trains on the Ronkonkoma, Port Jefferson, Oyster Bay and Hempstead lines were delayed for 15 to 20 minutes, and westbound trains were bypassing the Queens Village and Hollis stations.
All westbound trains are bypassing Hollis Station due to a person on the tracks being struck by a train west of Queens Village.
— LIRR. Wear a Mask. (@LIRR) June 10, 2017
The LIRR says the service is now on or close to schedule.
LIRR is on or close on Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Pt Jefferson & Ronkonkoma br. Westbound trains are now stopping at Queens Village & Hollis.
— LIRR. Wear a Mask. (@LIRR) June 10, 2017
It's unlikely speed was a factor in the crash, WCBS 880's Mike Smeltz reported. The MTA said the train had just left the station.
There is no word as to why the worker was on the tracks.