American Notes Accidents

The frightened New York City subway passengers on the Brooklyn-bound local said later they knew there was something wrong when their train overshot several station platforms. As it hurtled toward the busy Union Square Station at 12:15 a.m., the train derailed on a curve and slammed into a steel pillar, leaving several cars a mass of twisted metal in a hot, smoke-filled tunnel. "When the lights went off, smoke started coming into the car," said passenger Gilbert Asante. "I thought I was dead."

Asante was one of the lucky ones. Five riders were killed and nearly 200 injured. Motorman Robert Ray, 38, who fled the scene, was later captured and charged with five counts of manslaughter. Blood tests showed two times the legal limit of alcohol in his system.