Man racing to free stuck truck is rammed on tracks

[Trainspotter 0]

A man who stopped to aid a truck driver stuck on a Queens railroad track was hit by a locomotive and dragged before being rescued by firefighters.

 

Courtney Young, 44, was battling for his life last night at Elmhurst Hospital Center with severe head trauma and broken bones suffered in the 7 a.m. ordeal.

 

The trucker he tried to help had attempted to drive across a set of Long Island Rail Road tracks on Laurel Ave. but became stuck on an ice patch, said an FDNY spokesman. When the crossing gate crashed down on top of the rig, Young raced to the driver's aid.

 

As he lifted the gate, the engine, which was not pulling any cars, crashed into the truck.

 

"He never saw the train," said FDNY Chief John Papa. "The timing was just bad."

 

Young was pulled underneath the truck as it was pushed 75 feet, the FDNY said. Six minutes later, firemen from Ladder 128 were at Young's side trying to figure out a way to pull him from the mangled mess.

 

The FDNY used inflatable airbags to raise the twisted truck off Young and pulled him out on a backboard.

 

BY Rich Schapiro And Simone Weichselbaum

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

February 24th 2009

[MTR Admiralty 4]

That is really awful...

[metsfan 2]

Where is laurel ave?

 

- A

[KeystoneRegional 246]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[DOB2RTO 29]

The lesson here is, unless there is children in a vehicle stuck on active railroad tracks, let nature take its course, since any adult who can drive, in a vehicle that isn't stuck due to an accident, should be able to get out of their vehicle, when a train crashing into their vehicle in imminent. Personally the trucker would be on his/her own. In this case the truck was just stuck on ice, not in an accident. The trucker could have walked out of their rig, under their own power.

 

But this is me though..........

[KeystoneRegional 246]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[metsfan 2]

Where is laurel ave?

 

- A

[KeystoneRegional 246]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[via White Plains Road 189]

Where is laurel ave?

 

- A

 

Its in Mespeth, Queens

[metsfan 2]

Ok, i must be missing something, because all i see are grade separated LIRR tracks in that entire area. Trying to find it on google earth, but the only laurel ave is in brooklyn, and the closest nearby match is laurel hill blvd.

 

I must be going crazy.

 

- A

[via White Plains Road 189]

Ok, i must be missing something, because all i see are grade separated LIRR tracks in that entire area. Trying to find it on google earth, but the only laurel ave is in brooklyn, and the closest nearby match is laurel hill blvd.

 

I must be going crazy.

 

- A

 

Its funny b/c I was just doing the same thing.....looking on Google Earth and I got the same results as you did. Its @ grade level coming from either Long Island City or Hunterpoint Avenue stations and then merge near Woodside. So I think they must of got the name of the street wrong!

[FritzSpitz 11]

Ok, i must be missing something, because all i see are grade separated LIRR tracks in that entire area. Trying to find it on google earth, but the only laurel ave is in brooklyn, and the closest nearby match is laurel hill blvd.

 

I must be going crazy.

 

- A

 

 

This happened on the Lower Montauk, not the Main Line.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.728999,-73.930709&spn=0.001768,0.004828&t=h&z=18

[Guest Charles]

This is quite stunning. I really hope he recovers quickly.