An 88-year-old woman died Tuesday after falling on the escalator at the Lindenhurst Long Island Rail Road station.
An off-duty assistant conductor tried to help the woman when she fell, just before 2 p.m. A cause of death has not been released.
The escalator was immediately taken out of service for inspection, said officials.
Commuter Will Ashley, who often takes the train from Lindenhurst, said the escalator is notoriously erratic.
"The right-side rail usually just sits there, and the left-side rail goes up with the escalator, but it's an uneven balance," he said. "It's shaky sometimes."
Another commuter, Bob Burnett, said, "When the busy time comes, it stops and you have to walk up the stairs."
LIRR officials would not say if the escalator played a role in the woman's fall, pending a police investigation.
Local
Trains were bypassing Lindenhurst station earlier in the day as police investigated. Service has since been restored.
