Long Island Rail Road Ronkonkoma line back on schedule after crash that killed Wyandanch man in car

The LIRR's Ronkonkoma Branch was operating on or close to schedule Friday morning after a train struck a car Thursday night near the Pinelawn station in East Farmingdale, killing the sole occupant in the car, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said.

The person killed was identified Friday evening as Lucien Jean, 62, of Wyandanch.

According to video surveillance and event recorders at the crossing and on the train, a westbound train departed the Ronkonkoma station at 7:56 p.m. Thursday and was approaching Wellwood Avenue going about 80 mph when a car came onto the tracks, Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free said.

A preliminary investigation found that the car had come onto the tracks, stopped, and did not appear to move once crossing gates were lowered, he said.

The train collided with the car at 8:24 p.m. and the impact split the car in half, sending a piece of the vehicle under the train and sparking a fire. The East Farmingdale Fire Department helped to put the fire out.

Free said although there were passengers in the front train car at the time of the collision, no injuries were reported.

First responders and crew safely evacuated about 100 passengers from the train and "did a great job of keeping everyone calm," Free said. The MTA provided shuttle buses so riders could continue their journeys.

LIRR crews worked through the night to clean up debris and repair the extensive damage, including 2,000 feet of third rail, Free said.

Service on the Ronkonkoma line returned to normal or near-normal service around 10:30 a.m. Friday after operating on one of two tracks earlier Friday morning, according to the MTA website.

Crashes killed 2,100 people and seriously injured 16,000 on Long Island roads over a decade. What can be done? Newsday is investigating the causes and possible solutions in a yearlong series. Read and watch more about the series here.