It’s not clear why the vehicle was on the tracks. Erica Byfield reports.
A Long Island Rail Road train struck a truck on the tracks near Deer Park Monday afternoon, killing the 94-year-old driver in a fiery crash that suspended service on the Ronkonkoma branch for much of the day, the MTA says.
It's not clear why the vehicle was on the tracks west of Deer Park when the train hit it just after 12:30 p.m. The train had departed Penn Station at 11:14 a.m., and was headed to Ronkonkoma, according to the MTA.
An MTA LIRR spokesman, Aaron Donovan, confirmed the 94-year-old driver of the truck died on scene. He has not been identified. The remnants of the charred, overturned vehicle could be seen on the tracks as police investigated the scene.
Donovan said no one on board the train was hurt.
A man who works nearby told News 4 he heard the train coming, and the gates were coming down with the lights flashing and bells ringing -- then suddenly heard a massive explosion.
"I just heard a big bam," said Sean Kelleher. "I said, 'That train hit something. And I'm pretty sure it was a car.'"
Donovan confirmed that the driver went around the gates and into the path of the approaching train.
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Kelleher described flames shooting 20 feet up into the air when the train hit the car. He said he was in disbelief.
"To have this happen here is insane," he said.
He wondered if construction work near the tracks was a factor.
"Some guy was telling [the driver] to stop because they were doing the sidewalk over here," said Kelleher. "And he went right by the guy. Went on the tracks, and bam."
Service was suspended in both directions as authorities responded. By 3:30 p.m., train service was restored, including east of Farmingdale. Customers were nevertheless advised to expect delays.
Earlier in the morning, a NJ Transit train fatally hit a man on the tracks in Morris Township, suspending service on part of the Morris and Essex line.
