By Andrew Coen
North Woodmere resident Fritzie Fink, 70, was the lone occupant of a 1999 Toyota that was struck on the passenger's side by a Far Rockaway-bound train traveling at approximately 25 mph, and was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside. She was reported in stable condition with two broken legs, according to MTA police officials.
Kim Riley, a spokeswoman for the MTA police, said that before the accident occurred, just before 11 a.m., an LIRR crew was on the tracks installing a data analyzing recorder, and that an investigation is under way to determine whether the crew's activities could have caused the gates at the crossing to malfunction, perhaps preventing them from lowering to keep cars off the track.
Riley said that the train's relatively low speed at the moment of impact could be explained by the fact that the accident occurred just over a mile from the Woodmere train station, the train's previous stop, and roughly half a mile from the Cedarhurst station, the next scheduled stop.
According to Riley, Fink, whose car was knocked past the north side of the tracks, was able to speak at the scene after being hit. "She's a very strong woman," said Riley.
The accident halted LIRR service on the Far Rockaway Branch from Far Rockaway to Valley Stream from 10:40 a.m. to 12:23 p.m., according to LIRR officials. A bus brought the 23 passengers on the Far Rockaway-bound train to the Cedarhurst, Lawrence, Inwood and Far Rockaway stations, officials said. In addition to stops in the Five Towns, the Far Rockaway branch includes Gibson and Valley Stream.
Joanne Griffin of Rockville Centre, who was on her way to Cedarhurst to run errands when she got stuck at Prospect Avenue as a result of the accident, said it is scary that the gates may not have been down. "It is frightening," said Griffin. "If I was there a few minutes later, that could have been me."
Many drivers in the Cedarhurst, Lawrence and Woodmere areas, like Griffin, were unable to cross the tracks after the accident as a result of the train's emergency braking, which caused all gates in the vicinity to come down, according to Riley. Police officers helped route drivers around the gates in the areas a safe distance from the accident, MTA officials said.
The accident was the second instance of an LIRR train hitting a car in the Five Towns in the past year. Last Dec. 16, a train struck the front of a car stuck on the tracks at the West Broadway crossing in Hewlett. In that incident, the driver was able to escape without injury.
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or 516-569-4000 ext. 210.
