3 Coworkers Killed After LIRR Trains Strike Jeep ID'd

WESTBURY, NY – The three people killed when two trains collided with a Jeep on the tracks in Westbury Tuesday night have been identified as coworkers at a nearby supermarket.

Jesus Hernandez, Miguel Luna and Saul Martinez were all employees at Fine Fare Supermarket on Old Country Road, the supermarket's manager told the New York Post.

Authorities believe Martinez, the driver of the Jeep, was fleeing the scene of a minor fender-bender seconds before two trains traveling in opposite directions slammed into the Jeep at the School Street crossing.

The front two cars of the westbound train came off the rails and slammed into a platform at the Westbury station. The engineer of that train, who was critically injured in the crash, is being hailed as a hero for grabbing a passenger sitting in the first car and fleeing toward toward the back of train before the train hit the platform, DailyMail.com reported.

Seven people inside the trains were injured in the crash. The engineer and another man were in critical condition with spinal injuries and internal bleeding as of Wednesday night, NBC 4 reported.

The School Street crossing where the crash occurred is one of seven street-level crossings along the LIRR's Main Line that are slated to be eliminated in coming years. LIRR officials say the School Street crossing "poses a safety risk to drivers, pedestrians and LIRR customers." The crossing will be reconstructed into a two-way grade separated underpass.