By Brian McLaughlin
"It's way too easy for kids to get at those tracks," said Leaman Place resident Theresa Lanzelotti.
The section of tracks has been the site of a number of other tragedies over the last 20 years. Most notable was the case of two teenagers, Michael Sangimino, 18, of Lynbrook and Stephanie Ginis, 16, of Garden City, who were killed when they were struck by a train Aug. 8, 1994.
The two teenagers were hanging out with friends in the Wilcox area. At some point during the night, the two sat down on the tracks and were struck by a westbound train at 9:48 p.m. The site of the fatal accident was only several dozen yards away from where Brown was electrocuted four days ago.
After the accident in 1994, public outrage led then district Assemblyman Gregory Becker to request the LIRR build a fence to block off the side of the tracks that face the wooded area. But at the time, LIRR spokesman Sam Zambuto said, "We've found historically that fences are not a means of preventing these kinds of accidents. The key to preventing accidents is through education."
Brown's recent death re-sparked village resident criticism of the dangerous section of railroad tracks and this time residents are more adamant than ever that a fence be installed.
"You have to protect your citizens," pleaded local resident Adrienne Valentino at a recent village board meeting. "The tracks are right in our backyards. We know how dangerous they are."
Mayor Eugene Scarpato, while sympathetic to residents' concerns, said the village is powerless. Even though the village maintains and cleans the area as a service to residents, the Wilcox Alley property is owned by the LIRR and Watershed, a New York City water company, making it illegal for the village to build any permanent fixtures in the area.
Scarpato and village board members advised the frustrated residents to start a letter writing campaign to the LIRR to pressure them into action.
"Everyone should write a letter and get railroad to do what's right and that's the best thing," said William Hendrick, village board member.
But parents who are concerned for their children's safety right now are not satisfied by a reaction that may come months from now, if at all.
"Forty-one children live on this block and 28 of them are 10 years old or younger," said Lois Rothenberg. "Our children have lived here their whole lives. They know how dangerous it is, but other kids come from all over, not just from Lynbrook."
Rothenberg said that one attraction for youths is a bike trail that was built by children just beyond the tracks. Rothenberg suggested that Lynbrook village officials should look into having the bike trails torn down as a safety measure.
The problem extends beyond small children at play though.
"Those woods have become a big hangout spot for teenagers," said Christine Daly, who said she finds many teenagers hanging out in the wooded area almost every night, sometimes drinking alcohol or doing drugs.
Scarpato instructed Daly and the other residents to notify the police whenever they find youths of any age in the woods bordering the tracks and they will do the best they can to remove them from the area or at least insure that they are being safe.
In the meantime, village officials plan on cooperating with the residents in their letter-writing campaign to the LIRR, requesting a fence or some other safety measures to be set-up as soon as possible. Residents of Leaman Street and surrounding areas also plan to schedule a special meeting with a LIRR official in the near future to discuss the issue.
The Wilcox Alley area is currently being reviewed and evaluated, according to LIRR spokesman Brian Dolan, although there are no plans to install protective fencing in the near future.
- Cindy J. Roth contributed to this article.
