(Newsday posted the following article on its website on October 17.)
NEW YORK — The results of a state investigation into the death of Natalie Smead, who fell through a Long Island Rail Road platform gap, will be released Nov. 20, according to a state Public Transportation Safety Board spokeswoman.
Smead, 18, of Northfield, Minn., slipped through a gap on Aug. 5 as she was exiting a train at Woodside station. She crawled under the concrete platform and was struck by a train on the other side.
State and federal officials began investigating the gap issue after Smead’s death and a Newsday survey that found gaps as wide as 15 inches at some stations, twice the railroad’s standard.
In January, the state board is expected to conclude a broader study of the gap issue throughout the Long Island and Metro-North railroads.