Disabled vet questions LIRR wheelchair accessibility

<p>A disabled Air Force veteran is questioning why there are not more handicap-accessible Long Island Rail Road stations.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jun 6, 2017, 10:00 PM

Updated 2,682 days ago

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A disabled Air Force veteran is questioning why there are not more handicap-accessible Long Island Rail Road stations. 
Instead of taking the LIRR to the Amityville station near his house, Raymond Harewood takes the train to Massapequa, where he has to scooter 5 miles to get home. The Amityville station does not have an elevator. 
Last week, Harewood was stranded at the Massapequa station after the elevator broke. Harewood says he had to leave his scooter at the top of the stairs and ask a stranger for help getting down.
The fire department ultimately arrived to carry Harewood's scooter down to him.
News 12 contacted Amityville Mayor Dennis Siry, who said he would like the station to be handicap-accessible but that it's in the LIRR's control.
An LIRR spokesman told News 12 that the station was built before the Americans with Disabilities Act and that legally it doesn't have to be changed. He also said that rebuilt stations are made accessible. 
The LIRR spokesperson says it's currently rebuilding the Wantagh, Hicksville and Flushing stations. Siry says he will reach out to the MTA to push for his station to be added to the list.