(Reuters)
RUSH-HOUR SMASH: An emergency worker takes a woman off on a gurney last night after two Metro-North trains collided following a derailment in Connecticut that left 60 people hurt and caused disruptions on the New Haven line and Amtrak that could disrupt service for days. (
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Two Metro-North trains collided in Connecticut during the evening rush hour yesterday, injuring 60 passengers and causing massive delays on the New Haven line and Amtrak that could last for days, authorities said.
The accident happened about 6:10 p.m. near the Bridgeport-Fairfield border when an eastbound train from Grand Central Terminal carrying 300 people derailed on a section of track near a viaduct undergoing renovation, authorities said.
A New York-bound train from New Haven carrying 400 passengers then collided with the train, sending passengers and crews flying.
“All I know was I was in the air, hitting seats, bouncing around, flying down the aisle and finally I came to a stop on one seat. And I just gripped it because I felt the train sliding,” said Lola Oliver, 49, of Bridgeport.
“It happened so fast I had no idea what was going on. All I know is we crashed.”
Oliver was treated at a hospital for cuts and bruises and released.
Fairfield Police Lt. Jim Perez described a chaotic scene.
“We had dozens of people with injuries and 100 or so others on the scene waiting for buses or other transportation,” Perez told The Post.
Two of the four tracks along the line were closed for repairs, so the commuter trains were travelling on adjacent tracks when they hit.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said 60 people were taken to area hospitals, including five with critical injuries.
“We’re most concerned about the injured and ultimately reopening the system,” Malloy said.
Three patients remained in critical condition Saturday morning, with two of those stable, according to officials at two Bridgeport hospitals.
The governor said that most people were not seriously hurt. Among those critically injured, he said, one’s injuries were “very critical.”
The nursing supervisor at St. Vincent Medical Center said Saturday morning that 44 people from the crash had been treated there, and that five of those were admitted. One of the five remained in critical condition but was now stable, the supervisor said.
Bridgeport Hospital spokesman John Cappiello said two patients were admitted in critical condition, and one of those was now stable. The hospital treated 24 other patients from the crash, and many had been released already with the rest expected to be released by late Saturday morning, Cappiello said.
An MTA rep said that New Haven line trains from Grand Central would run only as far as South Norwalk until further notice.
Amtrak service also was suspended between New York and Boston, according to its Web site.
And the MTA said that normal service through this area is not expected to resume until the investigation is complete and repairs are made.
Investigators weren’t sure what caused the crash, but Malloy said it looked like an accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board was sending a team to investigate.
Passenger Bradley Agar of Westport, Conn., was in the first car of the New York-bound train when he heard screaming and the window smash behind him.
“I saw the first hit, the bump, bump, bump all the way down,” he said.
Additional reporting by Antonio Antenucci and AP