Train derail victim files $5 million claim

Serene Lee
By Serene Lee
July 2, 2017US News
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Train derail victim files $5 million claim

Sheena Tucker, victim of the recent MTA Harlem train derailment, has filed a Notice of Claim announcing 5 million dollars in damages.  

On tuesday morning, Tucker left her apartment at West 146th Street and took a Southbound A-line subway. At around 9:48am, the car she was in suddenly flew off the tracks near 128th Street.

Tucker explains the panic inside the train when the incident happened.

“A loud sound, everyone was kind of like swinging in the car, after that everything went black, a few seconds all the sparks and little fires, everyone start running, majority people thought it was a terrorist attack, everyone just scared for the lives, I was pushed and trampled on ….. I would not be taking MTA any more.”

After the derailment Tucker was sent to a nearby hospital. She said her back and neck hurt, and because of smoke inhalation, her throat was in pain.

On Thursday, Tucker and her attorney Sanford Rubinstein held a press conference to speak out about her claim against the New York City transit authority and MTA.

“It’s time for the talking to stop and the MTA to do the work to repair the trains to be safe for the people of our city…what has to be done to make the repair necessary, the capital improvements must be done before there is another tragedy in which people will suffer tragedy,” said Rubinstein.

MTA said human error caused the derailment, after finding an improperly secured piece of replacement rail that was stored on the tracks. Two supervisors who were responsible have been suspended without pay.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., called the derailment an unacceptable manifestation of the system’s current state.

He called on MTA’s new leader Joe Lhota, to address the fundamental issues plaguing the transit system and to overhaul the organizational structure of the corporation.

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