Another LIRR passenger who was injured in the Jan. 4 crash at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal is suing the railroad and the MTA for $15 million, citing reports that the engineer may have been a sleep apnea sufferer who nodded off at the controls.
Valley Stream resident Wanda Rich was heading into Brooklyn when the train rammed a bumping block at the end of the line, derailing several cars.
A pile of other passengers landed on top of Rich, 63, fracturing her ribs and damaging her nerves, according to a notice of claim filed Wednesday.
She continues to suffer from blackouts and headaches, her suit says. It faults the railroad and MTA for failing to ensure that the engineer was “fully cognizant and aware of his faculties” while driving the train.
“I just think that something more needs to be done to prevent these kinds of accidents when it’s not like it’s the first time it’s happened at this point,” said Rich’s attorney, Robert Vilensky.
In October another LIRR train derailment near New Hyde Park left 29 people injured and in September a NJ Transit train that slammed into the station in Hoboken killed one passenger and injured 100 others.
Rich is the second of 103 injured passengers to sue over the crash at Atlantic Avenue Terminal.
The first case, for $5 million, was filed last week by Clifford Jones.
MTA and LIRR spokeswoman Beth DeFalco said, “We do not comment on pending litigation. The cause of the incident has not been determined and is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.”
Additional reporting by Danielle Furfaro