MASPETH — A man was hospitalized after trying to free an 18−wheeler from railroad crossing gates Monday morning in Maspeth, the FDNY said.
At around 7 a.m., the tractor−trailer tried to cross the tracks near Laurel Hill Boulevard and Review Avenue, but the crossing gates lowered before the trucker could get across.
Another man, A&L Cesspool worker Courtney Young, ran over and tried to lift the gate, but could not move it, firefighters said.
The train struck the other side of the vehicle, dragging the victim approximately 75 feet and pinning him. When members of Ladder 128 arrived at the scene, they saw the man’s feet coming out from under the tractor cab and dug a trench to reach him and lift the truck with airbags.
