NEW YORK CITY - Multiple people were hospitalized Friday night when two Metro-North trains collided just north of Bridgeport, Conn., sending weekend commuting into chaos, a witness said.
Brian McGinn, an employee at DNAinfo.com, said that he was traveling to visit inlaws with his wife shortly before 6:10 p.m. Friday, when the train suddenly lurched to a stop, throwing passengers off their seats.
"We went flying forward," he said. "The whole thing shifted off the rails. The electricity went out. There was smoke and dust everywhere."
McGinn, a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician, said he rushed to the aid of injured passengers in the trains' forward cars only to see a grisly scene.
"The side was ripped open," he said. "There were about 15 to 20 people injured. Compound fractures. There was a lot of blood. Some pretty bad injuries."
Metro-North did not immediately respond to calls seeking information on the accident.
"At this stage, we don't know if this is a mechanical failure, an accident or something deliberate," Fairfield Police spokesman Lt. James Perez told the Connecticut Post. He said their were four injuries, but no fatalities.