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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Faulty Crossing Gate Possible Cause of Deadly Train Accident

Train accident hits car and kills passengerLong Island father of four was killed when his vehicle was smashed by a LIRR train at a Central Islip crossing.  MTA officials returned to the scene to investigate whether or not a faulty gate crossings contributed to the crash.

Relatives of a Edson Muñoz, victim Adolfo Muñoz's nephew, walked along a grassy area next to the train tracks, strewn with metal car parts and soda cans.
Muñoz rifled through scattered debris near the site where his uncle was killed. When asked why he was there, Muñoz said he just "wanted to see" it.

Adolfo Muñoz, 63, was driving his black 2000 Lexus south on Route 111 before getting in the path of a westbound nonpassenger LIRR train at the crossing.  Muñoz was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore and pronounced dead a short time later.

Edson Muñoz, 30, of Brentwood, said family and friends "are not too sure" what caused the accident. "A lot of people were saying the gates were up and down and weren't working properly," he said.

The MTA is still investigating the collision, said Marjorie Anders, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the LIRR. "We are looking into the functioning of the gates and flashers and downloading the black box," Anders said Saturday.

Tomika Oliver, who drives past the rail crossing at least twice a day, said there have been consistent problems at the intersection. The gate guard comes down and then quickly pops up but no train passes, she said. "It makes me very nervous," Oliver said. "I don't trust the gates."

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured due to a train malfunction call the experienced train injury lawyers at Buttafuoco & Associates 1-800-669-4878

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