At least one transit worker was injured this week when a couple of subway trains collided under the East River tunnel. The tunnel is currently under repair, stated officials with New York City. The station runs the E and M subway lines connecting Manhattan to Queens.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said that neither train derailed after the impact. There were no passengers on board either train when the accident occurred on Wednesday, December 27 at approximately 5 a.m. New York City commuters were unaffected by the trains colliding.
The injured transit worker was taken from the scene at Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street in Manhattan. According to the MTA, he received treatment for what were described as “non-life threatening injuries.”
It is unknown what caused the two trains to collide, but investigators were on the scene to determine that this week. It is uncertain whether this accident will cause delays to the construction underway inside of the tunnel.
Because the only known injured person in the collision was a transit worker, it is likely that workers’ compensation benefits would be available to him in the wake of the accident. However, if a passenger were to be injured on a subway train due to a collision or other mishap, those benefits would not apply.
In accidents involving injured transit passengers, for them to receive any type of financial compensation for the injuries and other damages they suffer, it may be necessary for them to file personal injury lawsuits against the person(s) or entities deemed liable for their accidents.
Source: UPI, “Worker injured as subway trains collide in New York City,” Sara Shayanian, Dec. 27, 2017
