Twitter/@LIRR(NEW YORK) — A New York Uber driver was forced to abandon his vehicle on Tuesday just moments before a fast-moving train crashed into it, surveillance video showed.
The collision happened at around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, halting service on the Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma branch in some locations.
The driver, Hugh James, said his car stalled on the train tracks in Bethpage, Long Island — about an hour east of Manhattan — just as the train was approaching.
“Someone came to try and help me. He tried to push the car while I put it in reverse. It still would not move,” James told ABC’s New York station WABC on Tuesday. “He then saw the train coming and I came out and examined to see what was under the car.
“I could not see clearly so I abandoned the car. I tried to signal the train,” he added. “He could not see me.”
Normal service resumed a few hours after the incident. No debris was found on the tracks that would cause the car to get stuck, according to a preliminary LIRR investigation.
There were no injuries reported.
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