BRIDGEPORT, CT. — Two metro trains traveling in opposite directions on May 17, collided in Bridgeport, CT. The crash involved about 700 passengers, injuring dozens of people, including one person who remains hospitalized in critical condition.
According to the MTA, The accident happened around 6:10 p.m. Sunday, May 17, when a northbound train on the way to New Haven from New York derailed. A train traveling southbound on a parallel track then crashed into the derailed train. The accident site was near an overpass of the I-95 near Fairfield Ave. The crash site is near the border with Fairfield, CT and is just east of the Fairfield Metro Station.
CNN reports that Investigators have ruled out foul play in the crash, which injured more than 70 people. As of Sunday, officials said that five people remain in the hospital, one in critical condition.
The MTA said that of four tracks in the area, two were already out of service for long-term repairs. The remaining two tracks that were affected by the accident received extensive infrastructure damage because of the collision.
The accident is considered one of the worst U.S. passenger rail accidents since 2008 when a head-on crash between a Union Pacific freight train and a Los Angeles Metrolink commuter train killed 25 people. A collision between two subway trains in Washington, D.C., in 2009 killed nine people and injured dozens.
The incident remains under investigation at this time.
Blog post by Gordon & Elias, a FELA lawyer and Connecticut railroad injury lawyer who publishes train accidents and FELA legal news from across the United States.