Man seriously hurt in fall from LIRR's Jamaica platform, official says

A man was seriously injured Monday when he fell into the gap between an LIRR train and a platform at Jamaica Station, Long Island Rail Road officials said.

About 3:10 p.m., the unidentified man's legs became wedged between the platform edge and the train and he was bleeding heavily.

Firefighters placed air bags in the gap to create some room to get him out and he was taken to Jamaica Hospital with serious leg injuries, officials said. Several LIRR trains were delayed or canceled in both directions. Westbound service was temporarily suspended between Jamaica and western terminals.

After an 18-year-old tourist was killed in a gap-related accident, Newsday in 2007 investigated the rate of customers falling into the gaps between LIRR train doors and station platforms.

An audit that year found the LIRR was not properly reporting some accidents, including gap falls, prompting federal officials to order the railroad "to broaden the types of incidents and accidents it regularly reports to include slips, falls, medical emergencies and other incidents that regularly occur on the railroad."

The change resulted in a significant increase in the total number of incidents/accidents reported. The LIRR also launched its first systematic attempt to fix the gap problem using methods, such as installing wooden boards on platform edges.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.