Commuters described a scene of panic and chaos, with broken glass and injured riders covering the platform.
"Next thing I know I was on the floor, can't remember if the train was moving fast," one rider said. "All I remember is being on the floor."
"Typically, when you're coming into the Atlantic Terminal, the train goes very slow," another rider said. "Today, I was saying to myself as we were coming in, it was going faster than usual."
Many initially thought the incident was a terror attack.
"In the times we live in, when you hear a boom or a crash, you start thinking the worst, like is someone attacking us," one commuter said.
Passengers reported a loud bang and a jolt that sent some people flying, and many said the train appeared to be pulling into the station faster than normal.
LIRR passengers describes moment of impact in Brooklyn
Many victims were carried away on stretchers, while others were sitting outside the train holding ice packs to their heads awaiting transport to the hospital to be checked out. Several people were reportedly bleeding from cuts and scrapes, but luckily, none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening.
An estimated 430 people were on the train when the crash occurred.
Train riders describe panic, chaos after LIRR crash