LIRR Incident Ceremony [6-2-19]

On the morning of Sunday, June 2nd, 2019 Nassau County Executive Laura Curran hosted a ceremony honoring the firefighters who responded to the Long Island Railroad incident that occurred on February 26th, 2019 in Westbury. The Tuesday night incident came after a vehicle went around the gates at a ground level crossing at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and School Street. Both an eastbound and a westbound train struck the vehicle resulting in the three occupants within being killed and the auto breaking apart and catching fire. After the impact the westbound train continued for some distance, derailed, and struck the platform [closer to Linden Avenue] causing concrete and metal to break apart and scatter. Hundreds of people between both trains were safely evacuated by the two-hour mark of the operation. Aside from the trio of fatalities around one dozen people were injured – at least one seriously. The Sunday morning ceremony thanking the first responders was held at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola.