1 dead after LIRR train hits taxi on Long Island

MANORVILLE, N.Y. -- A taxi driver was killed Tuesday after his vehicle was struck by a Long Island Rail Road train in Manorville.

It happened at around 12:45 p.m. at the railroad crossing at Wading River Road.

According to MTA Police, a taxi driver through a lower crossing gate, which bent upon impact and went over the top of the car. MTA Police said the lights were also flashing and the bell was sounding. One passenger was in the vehicle at the time.

MTA Police said the vehicle appeared to have stopped on the tracks in front of an approaching eastbound LIRR train, which was traveling from Ronkonkoma to Greenport. The train struck the vehicle, causing extensive damage to the taxi.

The driver, identified as 49-year-old Daniel Seagren, of Ronkonkoma, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The passenger was airlifted to Stony Brook Hospital in serious but stable condition.

About 50 passengers were on the train, and none suffered any injuries. 

"I heard the train coming. I heard the horn go off, and I heard a popping sound like glass breaking," a neighbor said. 

"The gates were down when I got here because I actually asked the train people to lift the gates so I could get my rescue truck closer to the car," said Chris Steel of the Manorville Fire Department. "The driver was conscious and the passenger was not."

Steel said the car had to be cut open to get the victims out. 

LIRR train service was suspended east of Ronkonkoma on the Ronkonkoma branch after the crash, but was restored by 2:15 p.m.