New York Local News

  The death of an 18-year old tourist from Minnesota who through the gap between a Long Island Rail Road train and the Woodside Station platform shed light on the hazardous LIRR train-platform gaps. Read what other people have to say about this.

And to chime in yourself, send us your thoughts at wcbstvwebteam@cbs.com.

Responses

On October 19, 1992, I was 32 years old and was commuting home from work in Manhattan with my husband. We were at Penn Station waiting for a LIRR train to Wantaugh. It came in 20 mins late and 2 cars short. It was so crowded we couldn't get on, so we went to track 18 to wait for the next train. There was construction on the platform for track 18, so it was extremely crowded. People who normally line up for that train, plus people who couldn't get on the earlier one, plus folks who would normally make a later train ( as this was the next train out but also running very late). We were toward the rear of the platform for track 18, which curves a bit. We were standing in front of where the doors should have opened, closer to the 19 track than the 18 because of all the people ahead of us. The train pulled in and stopped, but instead of lining up with the open area of the platform, they opened up across from the areas under construction. As we were herded toward the door, I noticed ( by the movement of the heads in front of me) that people were hesitating before getting on. As we approached, I told my husband "I think there's a big gap here" even though I couldn't yet see it. When it was just a few people in front of me, I could see the distance between bodies and the train was pretty big. I strategized that I would grab for the handrail inside the train as I boarded. I glanced down, saw the gap, took a long step forward while reaching for the handrail. My husband says someone got in between us and I just dropped out of sight. I don't know if I was pushed or misstepped. All I know is I was reaching for handrail and the next thing I was face down on the floor of the train with legs going over my head as people (men and women) climbed over my body to board. My husband was screaming my name. My torso was on the floor of the train. My left leg entirely in the gap. My right knee was on the apron edge of the train in a bent position. I tried to use leverage from my knee to pull my body onto the train, but lost ground. I fell further off the train. I had severe tendonitous in both of my hands. In fact my right wrist and hand were in an ace bandage, and I had a doctor's appointment regarding them later that evening. Yet, somehow, I managed to grab the pants leg of a man who had gotten on before me, with my right hand. Luckily, he didn't shake me off. The only thing keeping me from going completely in between the train and the platform was my grip on his pants. Also luckily, he was a large man and was able to pick me up and get me back on the train. I had been in the gap up to my armpit. I had holes in my pants and socks, was scraped up, but nothing seemed broken. There was some bleeding from scrapes, but there didn't seem to be anything major. I just wanted to get on the train and find a seat. My rescuer found seats for my husband and I, then sat behind us. I sat there shaking. Later in the ride to Wantaugh, he told my husband we should file a report with the train conductor. He came around just shortly before our stop, and we quickly reported the incident. The conductor asked if I wanted medical attention, but I told him I had an appointment with my own doctor that night (about 15 mins after we got off the train). He said ok and let us go. The doctor originally diagnosed sprains to my right leg and ankle. But within a few days, when my body was no longer in shock, it was clear the damage was more severe. I was on full disability from work for 11 months and 3 weeks, then partial disability for another 8 months. I was in physical therapy for over seven years, and am permanently disabled. I have permanent loss of mobility and nerve damage in my right foot and ankle. I developed fibromyalgia and myofacial pain syndrome from the trauma of this accident. I had sued the LIRR with a lawyer from Nassau County. My rescuer had given his business card to my husband, who passed it on to my attorney. We had asked the attorney to depose the witness immediately, but he failed to do so. When the trial came up in 1998, he had lost track of the witness and had to hire a private detective to find the man. He had moved to North Carolina and didn't want to come up for the trial because he was expecting his first grandchild and his daughter's pregnancy had complications. I did not know that my attorney could have deposed him on video tape and played it in the trial, and my attorney did not suggest it. In the 6 years between the accident and the trial, the LIRR sent me to three different doctors. All of which were paid by the LIRR and found little or nothing wrong. However, my insurance company had also sent me to their doctors, trying to get out of paying for my disability - those doctors all reported damage and my insurance company had to continue paying. I had reports from the insurance company doctors, orthopedic surgeons, rheumatologists, physical therapists, range of motion diagnostic tests. I had MRI's showing that the chronic inflamtion of my foot and ankle were causing changes to my bone marrow, which (I was told) may develop into leukemia or cancer in the future. I never needed any of these doctors reports at the trial. We didn't get to that point. The LIRR kept saying there was no way a woman of my size (5'6" and 185 lbs at trial time) could fall into the "tiny" gaps at the platform. They couldn't envision that a gap would be big enough to swallow a woman who was 135 lb at the time of the accident. Since I didn't have a witness present other than my husband, the jury found there was no negligence by the LIRR. I was waiting for my father-in-law to pick me up at the courthouse after the trial. The jury foreman was waiting for her husband. I asked her why they didn't believe me. She said it was because we didn't have a witness. We had a witness in NC. Obviously, the real problem was that we had was an incompetent attorney. We lost the trial in November 1998. In March 1999 we received a letter saying we there had been a judgment against us from the LIRR and we had to pay them $800.00 in damages. We called the attorney we had used who told us that the LIRR had gone before 6 different judges before they had found one to say we that we had filed a frivolous lawsuit against the LIRR and had to pay a penalty toward their legal fees.(This was the first we had heard of something like this happening to anyone.) Our attorney advised us to not pay the judgment, because we lived in NJ now and the LIRR would have to cross state lines to find us. My mother-in-law had worked for a law firm prior to her death (they didn't do trial work). We called that firm and one of the partners told us to pay the judgment immediately - which we did. Six months later in 1999, when we were refinancing our home, we found out that despite cashing our check, the judgment was still on our credit report as unpaid. Called the Claims Bureau which was handling the collection of the judgment and they sent me a letter saying it was satisfied, and promising to correct their paperwork. We were able to show that to the bank with our canceled check and get the refinancing completed. In October 2003, when we were moving into a new home, we encounteredthis problem again. In the four years between the refinance and ourpurchasing a new home, the Claims Bureau had still not recorded ourjudgment as being paid. New letters, new apologies. More copies of my canceled check, and we were able to close. Luckily, I had kept all mypaperwork from the accident, lawsuit and judgment.

My LIRR horror story:

* I was left permanently disabled and developed autoimmune disorders
from the trauma

* had to *pay the LIRR* $800.00

* and had my credit messed up.

Needless to say, I no longer ride the LIRR, not even to visit friends and family on Long Island.
Jean

Hi webteam, this was not recent (a few years ago), but happened when I was getting on a southbound Amtrak train at Metropark (NJ). I had 2 small but heavy carry-on bags, and tripped getting onto the train over the gap. I sprained and bruised my ankle. The gap is large at Metropark, as the trains are coming around a curve into the station. I'm sure many others have probably been injured at this location as well.
- Eileen

You might consider inspecting Metro North stations as well as the LIRR. I regularly board at Spuyten Duyvil in the Riverdale section of the Bronx where, after many dollars and a lot of time spent on renovations and new trains, there is still a large gap. I slipped once.
- Alice

I am a victim of the gap at the above station. In May '99 I was boarding a train - it had been raining and as I stepped on the yellow edge of the platform to board, I felt like I slipped on a banana peel. I started to fall to the track below when a passenger grabbed me and pulled me up. As I was anxious to get away for the weekend, I refused the conductor's offer of a hospital visit. When I got to my hotel room I realized my buttocks and legs were black and blue. However, as a senior, I realized I had been lucky that my injuries were not worse. I recently visited this station and nothing has been done. A simple warning sign "slippery when wet" would help. I can't imagine how a blind or infirm person manages the gap, it's hard enough with luggage when you travel, and this is a main station for both N. J. Transit and Amtrak. A similar situation exists at Edison, NJ but this is a less busy station.
- Marion

I have been extremly aggrevated by all this "outrage" about the "gap" between train platforms and rail car floors. It is indeed a real tragedy that a young woman from Wisconsin, a state with very few passenger trains and probably NO floor-level platforms, was killed, however, no doubt this mishap occurred either due to her unfamiliarity with her surroundings, or the lack of paying attention to what she was doing. Floor level platforms ( and the resultant, necessary "gaps" ) have existed since approx 1900 when Grand Central Terminal and Pennsylvania Station were first constructed. MIllions of people have safely stepped across them for over 100 years. Suddenly the media have made a "big deal" out of something which we rail riders have simply lived with all of our lives. Floor-level platforms are not only used throughout the LIRR system, but have also become the norm on the great majority of Metro-North stations and Amtraks Northeast Corridor stations from Washington DC to Boston, and the new station in our state capital Albany. If an unbiased study were done, I believe it would show that being able to enter a railcar at floor level is much safer and easier, especially for persons with restricted mobility, than climbing up rail car steps from a ground-level platform. Lets see this "gap problem" in the proper perspective - and save the "hysteria" and hyperbole for politics and sports. Gaps are a fact of modern life in a metropolitan area - lets just remind our selves to be careful and go on with life.
- Richard

Dear CBS2, can't you find something REALLY important to report about? If the LIRR engineers can't figure out how to correct the "gap" problem (which has been around for at least 50 years that I can remember myself and has NEVER been the subject of any problems or discussion), then I would say that this country is in REAL trouble. If you look hard enough, you can find a problem with EVERYTHING in this city. Just the idea of having to build a new station to correct the problem gives a whole new insight into why the train fares are so high and continue to rise. Why didn't they just block off the areas of the station that have a gap over 8"?
- Bruce

The dangerous conditions that exist at the antiquated Syosset LIRR Station and the nearby Jackson Avenue crossing (designated as one of the 6 most dangerous crossings in NYS) cry out for Town of Oyster Bay officials to accept the MTA proposal to close the Syosset station and replace it with a safer, more efficient 21st Century Landia Station and a safer pedestrian and vehicular crossing at Jackson Avenue.
- Laura

Metro North's New Haven line-- New Rochelle and Grand Central Platforms have gaps that make it difficult and dangerous for handicapped persons with canes, walkers - not to mention wheelchairs. It is bad enough you have to travel to work with a disability but also struggle to keep your balance with everyone else rushing to board and exit the train . This is an added hazard.
- Gallo

I, too, have had an accident due to the gap on the LIRR. I now reside in NYC but a few years ago just before the new diesel trains came I commuted from Hunterspoint. Upon entering the train I slipped while entering the train due to rainy conditions and my leg went dangling between the gap and platform and if I did not immediately grab onto the hand bar on the train I would have fallen to the ground the gap was that wide. I sustained serious injury to my ankle requiring emergency room treatment and stitches. A few months later I needed arthroscopic knee surgery and proceeded to sue the LIRR. I settled for a small amount unfortunately since I just had my "third" arthroscopic knee surgery last month. All of this due to my fall between the gap.
- Melissa

The LIRR is dangerous in most places when boarding and leaving the train. Flatbush Avenue Station the gaps from the platform to the train can be over two feet sometimes, which most passengers will avoid when boarding although when people are departing from the train they don't have any choice and either have to jump or fall. Jamaica can even be worse when getting on the train and there are gaps and people pushing to get inside the train. Conductors are no help either because when the train is late or needs to be on schedule they tell people to hurry up and people can be push to fall in between the gaps. Jamaica station was just redone and so was Flatbush Avenue why is there still gaps?
- Elizabeth

Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn has to be the worst station for gaps - some of them are almost 2 feet! I get frightened every time I have to get off of a train there - with all the people rushing up the platform from cars behind the one I am in, it is very dangerous. I saw a flight attendant with her 1 piece of luggage attempt to get off the train at Flatbush Avenue - the throngs of people rushing up the platform gave her no room to maneuver over the gap - her luggage began to fall until some kind passengers standing next to her on the train assisted. I used to live in Staten Island and took the ferry to the #1 train every day at South Ferry- they have moving platforms that go right up to the train doors. The LIRR needs to install those at stations like Flatbush Avenue, where the platform is curved leaving very large gaps.
- Linda

"Minding the Gap" is just a part of life. It's like walking up and down steps, or remembering to start walking when you get to the end of the escalator. I listen to these people complain about the gaps, and you wonder how they ride the subway or get on or off the school bus, or remember to look back before you open your car door in traffic. You just have to watch where you're walking.
- Ben

Of course my thoughts and condolences go out to the family of the lovely young lady from Minnesota. Now for the LIRR. I will state that I despise the quality of service from this organization as well as the high fares for what we are getting, however, in this case, I think the LIRR may be getting a bad rap for something that I don't see there is much that can be done outside of their efforts already. THE GAP! You have got to be kidding me. There are yellow stickers on the windows of every door, the conductors announce as they arrive at every station to "Please watch the gap". The conductors warn of slippery conditions on the platforms in bad weather. I think there is enough awareness attempts to alert passengers to THE GAP. Millions of passengers ride the rails every day across the U.S., I am sure the percentage of injury and/or death is extremely small, probably less than 1 percent. While no one likes to hear that someone has been injured or died as the result of something, or anything, but it doesn't necessarily mean that there is a cure-all for the problem. People know the gap is there, they should step over it and pay attention. People know there is a railroad crossing, they know they should stop when the gates are down or the lights and bells are going, but yet, people still attempt to cross in front of a train. Should we get rid of all grade crossings in the country? People die in car accidents, should we get rid of the automobile to prevent death? Where I am going with this, is that there is not much that can be done with the clearance between the train and platform. The Union Square subway station has moving platforms that move up against the train when it stops, only because the station is curved and the gap is extra large. But don't stand on the platform when it moves, you may go for a looper.
- RCA

Thanks for your attention to this issue. I am orthopedically handicapped, with difficulties in balance as well. I had a major problem in June when I had to take the LIRR to a school meeting in Garden City, NY. I could barely get off the train safely, especially carrying all of the items needed for the meeting. Would it be possible for some of the cars in each train to have ramps, similiar to the structure of some of the buses in NYC?
- Marilyn

Several years ago, in the winter, I was getting on a westbound train and because of ice on the platform, I slipped and one leg went into the gap between the train and the platform. My leg went all the way down into the gap so that my rear end was wedged between the gap and the train. My other leg was already inside the train. My thigh is approximately 12" in diameter. Fortunately, the people standing in the train just pulled me up by my shoulder. The gap in Mineola (Westbound) is one of those that is pretty large.
- James

My 34 year old son Mitch was killed by the LIRR on July 26th, 2001 at 11:45 PM. We were told he committed suicide but after a report from the Medical Examiner it was said to be an accident. The police said he was standing in front of the train when the truth was he was dragged by the third car; only his legs were damaged. I can't understand why we were not told the truth about what really happened. The police refused to investigate; told us to get over it. The Kings Park fire department was across the street from the train station; there wasn't anyone on duty to save Mitch's life. He bled out from his leg being severed. He is our only child and the father of three young children, a void has been left that can never be filled. Please do something so that other families don't have to suffer as ours does; make the LIRR answer for what has happened. Thank you for your time.
- Sandra

Union Square station has the same problem - but they have a mechanical solution that the LIRR should incorporate.
- Moises

Our family had a similar experience, but this happened over 6 years ago at the Smithtown, NY Main Street Location. We were assured at that time, that this problem was being taking care of. After I read an article in Newsday today, I called them immediately and told them our story as well. They couldn't believe that this happened over 6 years ago. Our son who was 6 years old at the time, fell between the platform and the train on his way to a field trip with his first grade class to Port Jefferson for a "Meet the Community" day visit May 16, 2000. The school still have the field trips every year, but they take the bus straight to Port Jefferson. It was a problem 6 years ago and someone died in 2006 because they did nothing about it. We were very lucky that our son was not seriously injured. It occurred under similar circumstances as this poor teenager who was killed. Our hearts go out for this family -- this could have been avoided. Still to this day, we are outraged that our son had this experience and he didn't forget it either. No one called from the LIRR to see if our son was all right, I left messages for three days following the accident and no one called back. The train wasn't on a curve, its a straight platform. We were told by the principal at the time, who did speak to someone at the LIRR that day that the newer double decker trains are narrower than the older models and that's why the gaps occur. When the children arrived at the Port Jefferson Station, the conductor put out a ramp for the children to walk on. I was at the PJ Station waiting for the children as a chaperone with many other parents that day and I was told by my son's teacher the chain of events. I was beside myself with fear and anger -- how could this happen? We would like to talk to someone at anytime to tell them the whole story and how he was saved. We want to make sure that no one else gets hurt or killed in the future. Please call us anytime at our home number 631-544-0078 or my cell number 516-607-0998. Thank you so much for bringing this unfortunate situation to light so something will be done to insure our children's safety and as a community as well.
- Jeannette

I have witnessed 2 incidents of problems with the gaps between LIRR trains and platforms and in both cases it was due to the fact that the riders where not paying attention to what they were doing. In one incident, a woman fell because as she was exiting the train, she had her head turned and was still talking to her friends. People can not blame the railroad for everything. If I walked into oncoming traffic accidently and was hit by a car, I wouldn't blame the person driving. People must pay attention to their environments.
- Jim

I have not been on the L.I. Railroad, but I do travel on the Northeast Corridor Line of the New Jersey Transit Train, and the gap between the train and the platform at the METROPARK TRAIN STATION (Westbound Side) is extremely dangerous. It is an accident waiting to happen.
- Leviten

I have always been afraid, even as a kid. The gap at the westbound platform of Shea Stadium is very large. I've seen people lose their shoes getting of and I was worried about myself getting off there. The platform for the New Jersey Transit going to and from Trenton in Penn Station is larger then the gap of the platform for LIRR trains in Penn Station.
Once I was on a train from Seaford to Baldwin. When we arrived at Freeport, a woman was boarding the train with her little daughter. The little girl stepped in between the gap and fell halfway between the car and the gap. She was stuck at midwaist, and her mother was crying and screaming hysterically. Luckily, the conductor was alerted and we wound up going nowhere for an hour, while EMS crews and police showed up to safely get the girl out and in into an ambulance. This took place about a year and a half ago. It was quite frightening.
- Unknown

Dear CBS, I am sorry to hear that this young girl lost her life, my prayers go to her family. Back in 1996, I also had an accident on a LIRR platform. The situation occurred because there was ice and snow on the platform which had not been removed. I slipped on the ice getting onto the train and landed in between the platform and the train. I was lucky that my screams alerted the conductor and the people on the train. I did not walk away unscathed though. I broke my tailbone, herniated and ruptured many discs in my lower back and still live with pain. My life has not been the same since the accident but I am grateful that I am alive.
- Marie

While the focus has been on the gaps at some LIRR stations as a result of the recent accident, I have not heard anything about the gaps at NJ Transit stations. The one in particular I am concerned with is the westbound platform at Metropark, which is a major hub on the Northeast corridor line, served by both NJ Transit and Amtrak. I get off of the train at that station every day, and the gap between the train and the station is very large – I am guessing it is approximately 1 foot. As this is a very crowded station, it is often nerve-wracking getting off the train by taking a large step to clear the gap onto a platform where there are only a couple of inches between the edge of that platform and people moving in every direction. While I'm sure that the gaps on the LIRR are hazardous, they are equally hazardous at Metropark (I don't know about other stations) and this should be investigated as well. Thank you.
- Shelley

I personally have not had a bad experience, but I've been near people who have. One woman got her child's stroller wheels caught, but we just lifted it out and it was no big deal. The problem here is that people insist on deferring the responsibility for their own safety to others, instead of taking responsibility themselves. They insist that the railroad, airline, auto manufacturer, drug manufacturer, you name it make it impossible for them to have any sort of mishap with their product. This is a flawed way of thinking. Nothing can ever be made completely safe. Safety is ALWAYS a two-way proposition. The BEST way to minimize the probability that anything bad will happen to you is to be alert, follow directions and use common sense. Let's just take the railroad. The gap is usually caused when the train has to stop on a curved section of track. This was never much of a problem back before the M1 type cars. That was because the doors on those old cars were at the ends, where the segment of the curved platform meets the straight train car at its closest point. The problem with the gap is caused because on the newer cars since 1964, the doors were moved more towards the center of the car, and on a curve the platform there is further away from the car. There is really nothing that can be done about this short of changing the rules of geometry. However, they must announce who knows how many times, "Watch the Gap" on the trains. It is marked on and next to each door. They announce it in the stations hundreds of times a day. I'm sorry to say that this poor tourist's accident was most likely her own fault for not paying attention to what she was doing. She made two mistakes, she didn't watch the gap, then after falling through (which is amazing to me), then she crawls under the platform and comes out in front of another train. Remember my three rules for minimizing risk? She was not alert or she would have been watching where she was walking and would not have fallen through, she failed to follow directions to watch the gap, and she failed to use common sense when she crawled under the platform and tried to get out the other side instead of staying put and waiting for help. The LIRR has no liability in this. As a private pilot the principles of minimizing risk are drilled into us during flight training. These principles should be followed by everyone and many of these terrible tragedies we hear about can be completely avoided.
- Bob

I haven't experience the huge gaps on the LIRR but I have experienced them first hand on the MTA. In January 2005, I fell in a gap between the #6 train and the platform at Brooklyn Bridge. If I had been a petite woman my entire body would have fallen to the ground. As luck would have it, my being a full-figured woman saved my life. My entire right leg fell through the gap. I was terrified. I thought the train would leave the station and the rest of my body would fall onto the tracks. The accident happened in front of the first car of the train where a conductor booth was located. I was able to writhe my leg free with the help of several passers-by. Due to the enormous volume of riders attempting to exit and enter the train during rush hour, it was impossible for me to even see the gap as I exited the train. Something should really be done about this situation. My heart goes out to that young woman's family. I only hope her death will not be in vain.
- Lelan

Please include the MTA in your review of this problem as they have similar problems. In February 2003, around 6 o'clock in the evening, at the uptown side of the Astor Place station, I stepped towards the train which had stopped and my foot slipped between the train and the platform. My left leg was thrust down up to my knee and I was lodged there with my right leg kneeling on the train floor. I was in shock, afraid the train would go, and with it my leg, or even my life. I was so shocked I couldn't speak, but I was fortunate that three people, two men and a woman, probably coming from Wall Street, pulled me up. I couldn't speak and I never was able to thank them properly. The conductor towards the front of the train looked back, but never came to check as to what actually happened. I am so thankful that I did not lose my leg or my life. However, I have a permanent injury. The power of the fall meant that the knee and lower leg were jammed into a space that was smaller than the leg itself (which was why it was so hard to get myself up) This caused an oedema and enormous swelling which required an MRI. Nowadays, I still have a swelling from that terrible time and more recently, there is some problem with the tissue around that part of the knee. There is still a gap at the section of the platform at Astor Place. It may only be 9 inches or so, but enough to cause serious and permanent problems. I am not aware if the MTA ever reviews those gaps. It as scary as all hell and I still get shivers when I pass that spot on the platform.
- Sarah

Hi, Earlier in the year, my father and I were attending a NY Mets game at Shea Stadium. When leaving the stadium there was a large crowd pushing and shoving to get up the stairs to get to the platform to the LIRR. Once we made it to the platform we patiently awaited the arrival of the train to go back to Penn Station. Once the train arrived there we walked over to the door and I remember seeing the gap between the train and platform and telling my dad to watch his step. He is 66 years old and was behind me holding onto my shirt. As soon as I stepped on the train I felt his hand come off my shirt. I heard a woman scream and I looked back and he wasn't there. I looked down and saw just his head between the train and the platform. Luckily, myself along with a few other passengers pulled him up and he only had a scrape on his knee and a bump on his head. He was very lucky that he did not receive the injuries these other people did. To this day he will no longer use the LIRR to go to any mets games. I just figured I would share my story, thanks.
- Erik


Hello, I saw a young lady fall between the platform and a NJ Transit train when the train was loading in the NYC Penn Station. The train was pulled into the station on a curve. The young lady looked to be in her early 20's, white and she was wearing a white skirt. She was rather tall and thin and after the fall was able to stand from the track so that her upper body was visible and two gentlemen pulled her up. Her white skirt had a lot of black spots from the dirt and was ripped all the way up to her waist on one side. This fall left her in shock and dazed. A conductor finally came and he took her away. She was so nervous, she could barely walk, very shaken. So sorry I didn't give her my name as a witness. Even though this happen several years ago, getting on or off a train still makes me nervous.

- Mattie

I was glad to hear the story that you had told with regard to the gap between the train platform and the train door opening. My son traveling home from attending the New York Mets game yesterday on 08/08/2006 fell in between the platform and the train due to the large gap. He is 26 years old and was not able to go to work today. He had to go to the doctor, due to a sprained ankle, gash on his elbow and bruised right leg.
- Andrew

I am writing to you because I heard the news story, I always watch channel 2 news and I was upset when I saw the condition of him last evening. It was scary to think what could of happened especially because of the story last week with that poor young girl. I am writing to you because they need to do something about that situation. I was very glad that my son was traveling with his friend that was able to grap my son and help him up, the thought of what could have happened upsets me terribly. Thank you again for bringing this situation to light.
- Linda

I saw the CBS Evening News on Aug. 9, 2006 about the Long Island Railroad Gap between the train and the platform. I went to the Mets opening day game at Shea in April and although I was not involved I did see a boy about 10 years old getting on to the train on the way back to Penn Station fall into the gap. He fell straight down and with luck he put out his arms and did not go all the way down. His head and shoulders were the only parts of his body above the platform. His father pulled him out of the gap and went on the train. When we were on the train I asked him if he was OK, since I am a Firefighter and First Responder with the Linden NJ Fire Dept and he said his stomach and side were scraped and sore. I told his father he should file an accident report with the LIRR and have his son examined. He said his son will be OK and does not want to file a report because his mother would probably argue with him for not watching the boy.
- Steve

I am a victim of falling through a gap, I was getting aboard a train in Newark Penn Station on my way home to visit my family in NC in 1994. Every since then i have had 2 major operations on my knee, and my female organs. I have had the hardest time trying to prove to everyone that i fell between the platform of the train. I'm not able to run nor sit or stand for very long. During the time this happen to me I had completed a course in college and was planning to go back, but every since then my whole life has completely changed. My heart goes out to the young girl's family, at least she's not suffering.
- Unknown

I ride the train and I have had no problems with the gap. If the gap is made smaller, the trains will have to slow down to 5 miles an hour to pass through each and every station. Things automatically projecting and retracting from the trains or the platforms at every stop will pose more of a hazard to more people than the manageable gap. (How many thousands of passengers ride the trains every day without mishap.) The trips will take so long, nobody will want to ride the trains. They will all drive instead! How many people are killed and injured on our local roads every week or hit by cars and killed or injured every week. CBS, I find your news coverage has become very tabloid and sensational -- not at all journalistic. The death of this young tourist was a tragedy, but why are you trying to milk it like this? I'm sure you have made the trial lawyers very happy.
-Patty

I can understand the issue about the gaps. I can not relate about the LIRR...but i dont see the difference from where I have to take the railway its time someone takes notice of the Gaps we in Staten Island have,at times the gaps dont seem so bad but then there are times when you need to take a leap cause you don't want to miss the platform. It's time someone does take a look otherwise we may have the same incident happen her as it did to that young lady.
- Tanya

Some of the worst stations encountered with 10" gaps due to sloppy engineering:

HUNTERSPOINT AVE: Not only is the gap huge, but train and platform height are uneven AND the 3rd rail is on the platform side.

VALLEY STREAM: Station rebuilt about 15 years ago but with gaps that are too large, particularly on the west end.

SYOSSET: station is on a curve, therefore clearances require it.

Remedies: Put fiberglass or wooden gap fillers along platform edge so should a train with soft springs and is moving fast strikes it, there won't be much damage. LIRR aren't the only villains. NJT/Amtrak have bad situations at Newark (Penn) and Metropark.
- Joe

Just to change the subject, because there is a very large gap between the last and penultimate PATH cars at the westbound track of the Harrison NJ station.
- Paul

Never mind about the LIRR - yes, so sad about the tourist, but you need to check out/investigate Newark Penn as well! There is a major gap when you pull up to Newark from New York Penn or vice versa...not safe at all. Twice, I found myself saying "whoops..."
- Debbie

I was about to get on a LIRR car at Penn Station (to Huntington) a few weeks ago and a woman slipped between the platform and the car as she was entering the car. Another gentleman and I caught her by each arm as she went down. Nonetheless, both of her legs had slipped far down enough that her waist was approaching the bottom of the door by the time we grabbed her. Had she not been quite petite, and had we literally not been on each side of her, I am certain she would have ended up under the train and on the tracks. It was so odd because after it happened, we all looked at each other for a split second and then went our separate ways. The car turned out to not be air conditioned so we all ended up in different cars.
- Brendan