/jcreiterlaw.com/Jonathan C. Reiter/ 09/21/2009
New York personal injury lawyer, Jonathan C. Reiter, alerts Long Island commuters of a recent investigation into accusations of serious reckless endangerment and negligence by the Long Island Rail Road against a train engineer operating a commuter train. As reported by Newsday, officials with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) fired an engineer, Ronald Cabrera, after an internal review determined he allowed a passenger to operate a rush-hour commuter train between Hicksville and Long Island City in July.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), the agency responsible for public transportation in New York including the LIRR, received a report from a morning passenger alleging the 40-year-old Cabrera, a Centerreach man who has been employed with the LIRR for 20 years, of allowing another passenger to enter the engineer’s cab and operate the train. The supposed July 2, 2009, incident, accusing Cabrera of allowing 47 year-old William Kutsch of East Setauket to operate the train between the two stations for more than 20 miles at speeds up to 80 mph, led to the engineer’s immediate suspension without pay until further review.
Nassau County prosecuting attorneys investigated and charged Cabrera and Kutsch of misdemeanor reckless endangerment and both defendants represented by legal counsel have pled not guilty and maintain their innocence. Both Cabrera and Kutsch claim the LIRR engineer operated the train and Kutsch did not take over the controls. Both men represented by New York attorneys assert this entire incidence is a misunderstanding based on a passenger’s speculation. The LIRR terminated Cabrera on Friday, September 11, 2009 stating, after a two-month internal disciplinary review, Cabrera failed to protect passengers, the public, his fellow employees and himself when he allowed an unqualified person to operate the LIRR commuter train.
Maintaining safe travel for all New Yorkers while they are riding a LIRR commuter train is the responsibility of the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Injuries to passengers from train accidents or poor operation of a locomotive can be catastrophic and even fatal. In the past year several catastrophic commuter rail crashes have caused passenger and rail employee injuries and deaths. The Los Angeles train crash in September of 2007 and the recent Washington D.C. commuter rail crash, along with numerous other railroad incidents across the country, has launched investigations and Congressional inquiries into our nation’s various rail systems and their safety.
New York personal injury education by New York train accident attorney, Jonathan C. Reiter, a New York personal injury lawyer. http://www.jcreiterlaw.com Telephone: 1-212-736-0979
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