Train Operator Suffers Mishap In Turnaround

A subway train collided with a bumper block in lower Manhattan Nov. 6, injuring the Train Operator.

An M train left the Chambers St. station a few minutes before 11 a.m. and entered into a relay track so it could turn around and go back towards Queens. It hit a bumper block, a device at the end of each subway line used to stop any train that is speeding out of control.

Cause Unknown

Firefighters assembled by the Municipal Building on Chambers St. and rescued the two workers on board. The Fire Department was investigating the incident, as was New York City Transit, though Deputy Fire Chief Mike O'Keefe confirmed that the train did not leave the tracks. The Train Operator was sent to a hospital for treatment; as of Nov. 9 NYC Transit did not know his condition and declined to reveal his name because of the pending probe.

The conductor was not injured. There were no passengers on board. Neither agency could immediately identify the cause of the accident.

The extent of the damage to the track and the subway car was unknown, said NYC Transit spokesman James Anyansi.

"It's potentially a very complicated situation," said Deputy Chief O'Keefe.