What to Know
- A westbound Ronkonkoma branch LIRR train ran into a car on the tracks near Brentwood
- A woman driving the car was killed in the crash; no one else was killed or injured
- Witnesses say the woman accidentally drove onto the tracks after the gate had come down
A woman has died after a Long Island Rail Road train struck a car on the tracks in Suffolk County, authorities say.
The train, which was not carrying any passengers, hit the vehicle at the Fourth Street crossing just west of Brentwood station at about 8 p.m., according to rail officials.
Witnesses say the woman driving the car accidentally went through the gate after it had already closed. They say that when she realized what she had done, she panicked and turned onto the tracks instead of away from them.
But at that moment, a westbound Ronkonkoma branch train slammed into her car, slicing it in half.
Although rescue crews arrived at the scene, the woman died at the scene. There was no other occupant in the vehicle.
The woman's identity has been withheld pending the notification of her family.
Local
LIRR service, which had been temporarily suspended, was restored in both directions between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma by 11 p.m.
