Crime & Safety

1 Dead, 3 Injured in Redding Car vs. Train Accident

A 21-year-old Danbury man didn't survive a car-train accident at the Long Ridge Road crossing in Redding, and three others were seriously injured in the 1:20 p.m. Sunday incident.

A 21-year-old Danbury man died Sunday afternoon and three Danbury residents in a car were seriously injured when it was hit by a train at a Redding train crossing.

Wayne Balacky was pronounced dead at Danbury Hospital on Sunday, said Salvatore Arena, a spokesman with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, citing the MTA Police Department, which is in charge of the investigation.

Injured in the accident were:

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Jausheema Perkins, 19, of Danbury, the driver. She received head injuries in the accident.
  • Fakeem Morning, 19, of Danbury, a passenger who received leg injuries and was transferred to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY.
  • James Redmond, 21, of Danbury, a passenger who also received leg injuries and also was transferred to Westchester Medical Center.

Arena said that according to MTA police, none of the survivors could be interviewed as of Monday morning.

MTA police, in a news release, gave this description of the incident:

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At about 1:20 p.m. Sunday, a southbound Metro-North train on the Danbury Branch struck an automobile on the tracks at the Long Ridge Road crossing.

The car, a Subaru, was traveling south over the track when it was struck. All four occupants of the car were taken initially to Danbury Hospital. There were no reported injuries among the train's crew.

Danbury Branch trains were temporarily suspended, with a bus service replacing it between Danbury and South Norwalk until 8 p.m. Sunday when service was restored.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.