Last month two individuals were killed in separate subway accidents in New York, marking a very bad beginning for 2014 as a whole. The first accident occurred in a subway tunnel, the second at Prince Street Station.
Early on the morning of April 6th, an individual was struck and killed on the tracks near East 67th Street. Initial reports from the MTA denied anything out of the ordinary but revised statements confirmed that an unnamed individual had died on the tracks. MTA officials announced that they had no idea how the individual got in the tunnel and said that individual was not authorized to be in there.
The second accident occurred somewhere around 3AM at Prince Street Station. A train operator discovered the body of a man under the train and called in investigative officials. Few details have been released about the accident but officials did say that it appears the man had been walking between the train cars when he fell onto the tracks and was struck by the train.
These two deaths are just the latest in a string of fatal subway accident in New York this year. Last month, a Metro-North employee was struck and killed by a train in an accident that’s still under investigation. Just days before that, a foreman was struck and killed on a stretch of track that should have been locked out when a student traffic controller opened traffic on the closed line without permission.
In the face of these accidents, the MTA has publically stated that it’s exploring options to improve commuter and employee safety on and around the subway lines in New York and beyond.
While New York City relies on the subways and train tracks that crisscross above and below ground, the massive machines that ride these rails can be deadly. Often the actions (or inactions) of transit employees can be directly linked to fatal subway accidents in New York. In these cases, the surviving family members of the victim have the legal right to sue for hospital, medical or funeral expenses, pain and suffering for time the victim survived after the accident and lost financial support.
If you or a loved one has been involved in any kind of subway accident, call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel for a free consultation at or 212-385-1122 to learn your rights.