Investigation continues in LIRR fatality

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) police are still investigating a fatality that occurred when an elderly man was struck by a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train at the Bayside station.
The train, traveling from Port Washington to Penn Station on the eastbound track around noon on Friday, April 11, struck the victim - whose identity has still not been released - causing apprehension amongst the train’s passengers and creating a stir in the neighborhood.
“I snuck a peak, and I saw the back of his head,” said passenger Magda Espinoza, who was traveling on the train from Great Neck to Penn Station. “There was a lot of blood. It was terrible.”
Police, fire and emergency personnel quickly responded to the scene and spent almost an hour before recovering the body, which officials said was a man in his 60s, from underneath the train.
However, when the incident occurred, passengers aboard the train said they were unaware of why it had stopped and they were being kept on the train.
“They stopped the train and told us there was a medical emergency,” said Michael, who was traveling to Penn Station. “Unless you’re in one of the first couple of cars, you wouldn’t hear anything.”
Meanwhile, many of the passengers and community members at the scene described conflicting accounts of whether the man jumped in front of the train or if the incident was an accident.
Sam Zamubuto, an LIRR spokersperson said that he could not comment on the investigation except to say that it was ongoing.
After the incident, the LIRR suspended service between Woodside and Port Washington until approximately 1:20 p.m. During that time, the LIRR provided alternate service to passengers including honoring tickets on the No. 7 train and providing additional buses.