Roughly 100 people were killed on November 1, 1918, when a Brooklyn Rapid Transit Co. train crashed after taking a curve too fast underneath the intersection of Malbone Street and Flatbush and Ocean avenues.
Estimates vary, but between 93 and 102 people were killed and roughly 250 injured in the wreck known as the Malbone Street Wreck. Instead of taking the curve at 6 mph, the train is traveling between 30 mph and 40 mph.
The elevated train, consisting of five cars constructed primarily of wood, entered the tunnel portal beneath Malbone Street, negotiating a curve designated to be taken at 6 mph at a speed estimated between 30 and 40 mph.
The first car’s trailing truck derailed, and the two following cars completely left the tracks, tearing off their left-hand sides and most of their roofs. The first and fourth cars sustained relatively minor damage, while the second and third cars were severely damaged, the third so badly that it was dismantled on the spot.
The fifth suffered no damage at all. The motorman was not injured and left the scene of the accident.
