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Aug 10, 2006 12:00 am US/Eastern
Tourist Death Prompts LIRR Investigation
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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A tourist was killed after falling through the gap between an LIRR train and the station platform. An investigation is underway.
AP
The Long Island Rail Road is still investigating the death of 18-year-old Minnesota tourist Natalie Smead in Woodside last weekend. She fell through a gap between a train and a platform, before being hit by another train.
Now, there are questions about that space between the train and the platform, and if it really amounts to a "judgment gap" by federal, state and railroad officials.
Sen. Chuck Schumer expressed outrage days after Smead fell to her death. He questioned whether it was a freak accident or a horrible incident that could have been avoided if governmental regulations had been in place to prevent it.
Right now, there are almost no state or federal guidelines that dictate the space between a passenger train and the platform. The exception is the Americans With Disabilities Act, which requires all newly constructed stations to place the platform no more than three inches from a train.
However, the Federal Department of Transportation is actually in the process of making the maximum gap even bigger -- as much as 10 inches to 13 inches wide.
CBS 2 measured the distance on the same platform where Smead was killed. At one spot the gap was 10 inches wide. A statement from the Department of Transportation said "Such gaps are typical of longstanding passenger rail systems and do not present a hazard to boarding for the majority of passengers."
According to the LIRR Commuter Council, a rider support group, the LIRR had 59 platform-gap accidents in 2004 and 56 in 2005. Most resulted in a twisted ankle or a broken leg.
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