(Deer Park, New York – May 17, 2011)
A 48-year-old bakery delivery truck driver from Flushing, NY was killed Tuesday morning about 6:50 A.M. when his vehicle was struck by a Long Island Railroad express commuter train at the Executive Drive crossing near the Deer Park station.
Ahmad Karimzada allegedly drove around lowered crossing gates, according to LIRR Salvatore Arena, who also said one of the 300 passengers aboard the westbound train was hospitalized with a shoulder injury.
Claiming the driver drove around the crossing gates is the typical snap-judgment used by railroad companies. Sometimes the railroads report that a driver went around a gate at a crossing where no gates were actually installed. It’s a pattern of misconduct which aims at immediately discrediting the driver and simultaneously clearing their own liability.
